


This Hunting Life

by tfw_cas



Category: Supernatural
Genre: British Men of Letters, Canon Compliant, Canon Compliant to 12x23, Canon Dialogue, Case Fic, Episode: s11e11 Into the Mystic, Episode: s12e17 The British Invasion, Episode: s12e21 There's Something About Mary, Episode: s12e23 All Along the Watchtower, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, First Kiss, First Time, Heterosexual Sex, M/M, Temporary Character Death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-23
Updated: 2018-02-23
Packaged: 2019-03-09 12:25:03
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 28,415
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13481436
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tfw_cas/pseuds/tfw_cas
Summary: Their lives should have been very different, but for Eileen Leahy and Sam Winchester, hunting is all they have ever known. They are thrown together on one case after another, and friendship, and maybe something more, starts to blossom between them.When tragedy strikes, they are ripped apart - maybe for ever. Can anything be done to save them, or will Eileen be just another in a long list of women that Sam has lost?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This fic was written for the [Saileen Big Bang](https://saileenbigbang.tumblr.com).
> 
> Huge thanks to the lovely [Annie_Eliza](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Annie_Eliza) for... everything, really. For encouraging me to sign up for this challenge, the invaluable help, support and suggestions you gave me, and for beta'ing this too. Basically, this would not exist if it wasn't for your words of wisdom, and I am very grateful for them. :) :)
> 
> Big thanks also to the super talented Kuwlshadow, for the wonderful art. You can see the masterpost [here](http://kuwlshadow.tumblr.com/post/171188634028/title-this-hunting-life-author-punk-is-notdead), and to see more of her beautiful art, go to her tumblr [here](http://kuwlshadow.tumblr.com).
> 
> AN In the show Jack is described as a nephilim, but I have it on good authority that nephilim is plural, and the singular should actually be nephil. Therefore, I have decided to use nephil.

 

When you’ve spent your entire life looking for the banshee that killed your parents, finally getting to kill it - to bring about some kind of closure - should feel overwhelming, right? When it came down to it though, Eileen found that this wasn’t actually the case. She was glad, of course, but it wasn't quite the catharsis she had been expecting. Maybe she should have gone all Inigo Montoya on its ass - ‘my name is Eileen Leahy, you killed my parents, prepare to die’. Sam had said it wouldn't bring her parents back, and he was right, but…

 

Ah, _Sam Winchester_. Now, that had been an unexpected bonus the case had brought her. When she first saw the hunter and his brother Dean, she sensed immediately that they were not FBI agents Osbourne and Butler. Something about them had seemed off, even though she had to admit she thought the taller man was cute, and then when she lip read their conversation - Dean was saying something about the next feeding time - she was convinced she had found the creatures that were killing residents at the retirement home.

 

However, once it became clear that she had entirely misread the situation, and that Sam and Dean were hunters like her, Eileen was able to look at Sam in a new light. Particularly when she found out that they were also trained as hunters from a very young age, and had even had a grandfather in the Men of Letters, just as she had.

 

When Mildred said that she had set her sights on Dean, and Eileen could have Sam, Eileen had signed to the older woman ‘Are you sure you don't want both’? She was merely trying to convince Mildred - and herself - that she wasn't interested in the tall, handsome hunter, with the most gorgeous smile she had seen in a long time. Oh, and he was kind and intelligent too. The truth was, she found him deeply attractive, but she was a lone wolf, and she didn't need anyone else for anything. She had been on her own since the age of 16, and that wasn't about to change. Also, as she said to Sam, she had ‘trust issues’.

 

They wrapped things up fairly quickly after the banshee had been eliminated, and the brothers prepared to leave. They made their way to Dean's car; Eileen walking with Sam, Mildred and Dean following a little way behind. Eileen was pretty sure that Sam was hitting on her when he told her she could drop him a line or hang out, then asked if he could call. And boy, was that flattering. She felt quite flirty in that moment, and told him that he could call but she wouldn’t answer, with a twinkle in her eye and a smile on her face. She had a secret hope that he would contact her sometime, but for now she needed to get back on the road, and find her own path.

 

After some inappropriate remarks from Mildred about the hunters’ backsides, the car pulled away. Eileen said her goodbyes to the other woman and went to her own car to hit the open road once again. Her whole life had changed now, and she was excited to see where it was going to lead her.

  


* * *

 

  
During his years on the road since Jess’s death, Sam Winchester had met quite a few women. Some he’d hooked up with briefly, a couple he had tried to form long-term relationships with - although his toxic relationship with Ruby had been built on lies from the beginning - and unfortunately, too many had ended in tragedy. But despite this, he was always hopeful and optimistic about the possibility of meeting someone he could have a future with.

 

Eileen was smart, resilient, beautiful, and it turned out they had so much in common. Losing parents at a very young age and growing up in the hunting life, the connection with the Men of Letters, what with Eileen being a legacy too, and the possibility of being able to study law, but choosing to stick with hunting instead. The similarities were almost ridiculous.

 

There was one big difference though; Eileen had made it quite clear that she worked alone, and that was not going to change. Sam had rarely hunted on his own, firmly believing that it was better to work with others; mainly Dean, sometimes Cas or other hunters, and before that, their father, John, and their surrogate father, Bobby. Hell, they had even worked cases with Crowley on occasion.

 

But Sam had to respect Eileen’s desire for solitude - he would never push anyone for more than they were willing to give - but he was a little disappointed at her brush-off when they said goodbye, even though she did seem to be responding to his attempts at flirting.

 

“Feel free to drop a line if you ever need anything… Or even if you just want to hang out.” Sam had been hopeful, and she’d smiled back, mischievously.

 

“You can’t call me though.”

 

Sam chuckled. “Okay.”

 

“I mean, you could call, but I won’t answer.” Eileen twinkled at him, and Sam couldn’t help but laugh. He knew full well that she had technology that would allow them to talk to each other so he had secretly slipped a piece of paper in her pocket, with his number on, in the hope that she would get in touch. Even if it was just for help with a case.

 

Dean was the first to break the silence on the drive back to the bunker. “Man, that Mildred. She was something, wasn’t she? If she was thirty years younger…”

 

“Yeah Dean, I saw. She was definitely keen to get to know you better.” Sam laughed and patted his brother lightly on the back.

 

“Anyway, what about Eileen, huh?” Dean smirked, and waggled his eyebrows suggestively. “She’s cute. Feisty. Seems into you too.”

 

“She’s great, but nothing’s gonna happen. She wasn’t interested.” Sam’s expression was wistful, and Dean’s smile faltered.

 

“Aw, sorry Sammy. That sucks. Her loss, huh?”

 

Sam appreciated Dean’s sympathy, but he wasn’t going to dwell; partly because he was more concerned about the fact that the banshee had attacked his brother, and not Mildred, as they had expected. “Yeah, thanks man... Fuck it, let’s get back to the bunker and grab some beers.”

 

Dean stuck a tape in the player, and they spent the rest of the journey listening to classic rock, each lost in their own thoughts. Eileen hadn’t been the first attractive woman to catch Sam's eye, and he was sure that she wouldn’t be the last.

 

++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

Over the next nine months, the Winchesters heard stories of Eileen from witnesses and other hunters, as she solved cases across the country. She would take down a vampire here, a vengeful spirit there, always professionally and with the minimum of fuss. Three or four times they ended up in town after she had already sorted the problem, and on one occasion they arrived within hours of her departure.

 

Sam was pleased to hear that she was doing well, loving especially the tales of how she would take no nonsense from men who got too friendly, or law enforcement officers who were surprised at her refusal to cooperate with them. The more he heard, the more he wanted to see Eileen again, so he started to keep an eye on her movements from afar, in the hope that he would be able to ‘accidentally’ meet up with her on a case. He also took a course in sign language, after realizing that his skills in this area needed a lot of improvement. This was when Sam wasn't trying to help defeat the Darkness and save Cas from Lucifer, or being held and tortured by the British Men of Letters.

 

The Winchester brothers’ lives had gained an extra complication when their mother had been returned to them from the dead, only for her to feel so out of place that she decided to leave. Sam wasn't happy about her decision, but he accepted it - Dean, on the other hand, was devastated, and Sam was constantly worried about him. If it wasn't for Cas and his regular phone conversations with Dean, Sam believed his brother's mental state would be much worse.

 

When Sam got wind of a case in Blue Rapids, a town that he figured to be pretty close to where Eileen was, he jumped at the opportunity to see her again. Also, it would be good for Dean to get out of the bunker. He found Dean in the library researching  - probably helping Cas and Crowley to try to locate Lucifer.

 

“I think I found us a case.” Sam approached his brother and sat down across from him, holding out the paper for Dean to see. “A couple killed each other. But get this - they bit each other until they bled out, during sex.”

 

“Really?” Dean raised his eyebrows in a disbelieving manner, but Sam could tell he was interested. “I mean, I don't mind a bit of biting myself, but-”

 

Sam cut Dean off before he said any more. “Yeah. Nice, Dean. Overshare much? I don't want to think about what you get up to when you… you're having...” He trailed off, stopping himself before he suggested to Dean that he should tell Cas this instead. He figured that his brother and the angel should probably start the traditional way - with kissing.

 

“Anyway, it's just a couple of hours away, so we could leave right now.” Sam was impatient to get going, but didn't want Dean to know why.

 

“Okay Sammy. I’m just gonna finish my coffee.” Dean took a sip from his cup, and looked back down at the book in front of him.

 

“Come on Dean, let's go. Now.”

 

“Hey, what's the rush?” Dean regarded Sam suspiciously.

 

“Nothing. I just don't want anyone else to die.”

 

“Sure… right.” Dean didn't look convinced by Sam's reasoning, but he got up from the table anyway, and they made their way through the bunker to the Impala.

 

On the way to Blue Rapids Sam filled Dean in on all the available details of the case. The man and woman who had died were both in their early forties. Susannah Crowe and Mike Hales. From the statements given by people who knew them, they had not known each other for very long, but their relationship was very intense - and sexual. All of the accounts mentioned this. However, something had changed on the night in question, and even out in public they were all over each other. In fact, one witness described them as ‘even trying to fuck and bite each other while they were standing at the bar’.

 

“Well, fuck. Do you think they could have taken something? Or are we looking at some kind of spell?” Dean looked over at his brother, with a furrowed brow.

 

“Seems like a spell to me.”

 

“Witches. I fucking hate witches.”

 

“Yeah.” Sam nodded in agreement, and they were mostly silent for the rest of the journey. They had encountered enough witches to know that they were always unpredictable, and that made him uneasy.

 

When they arrived at the house Sam made sure to check his reflection in the car’s wing mirror. He needed to make sure he looked professional, after all. They walked inside, and he was delighted to see that there was another hunter already there, examining the place for clues. Sam tapped the woman on the shoulder and she turned to face him. “Hey Eileen. How have you been?” He signed as he spoke, and ignored the smirk that he could see Dean giving him out of the corner of his eye.


	2. Chapter 2

Over the last nine months Eileen had forged a new path, free from the need for revenge that had previously driven her. She made a name for herself as she went, while hunting all manner of creatures; sometimes connecting with other hunters, but mostly she would work on her own. She had dealt with vampires and witches - as well as other nasties - and she had learned a thing or two about counterspells and lifting curses, courtesy of the daughter of a witch she had met on the road.

 

Eileen had thought about Sam Winchester a few times over that time - in fact, she had even considered contacting him. She had kept the piece of paper she had found in her pocket with his phone number written on it, but despite desiring to see him again, could not find a good excuse to get in touch. She was certainly not going to contact him without a good reason, and inventing one was not really her style. Now, as the tall hunter appeared in front of her, with that charming smile directed her way, she realized that she had forgotten just how handsome he was.

 

“Hello, Sam.” Eileen returned his smile, and hoped that she wasn't blushing too much.

 

“Have you, er… found anything?” Sam was obviously flustered, and Eileen found it more endearing than she knew she should.

 

“Not yet. I haven’t been here long.” 

 

Sam suddenly seemed to remember something. Pointing to Dean he said, “You remember my brother, Dean?”

 

“Yes. Hello, Dean.” Eileen smiled at the older Winchester.

 

“Fancy seeing you here, Eileen. It’s such a coincidence. Sam-” Before Dean could finish what he was going to say Sam nudged him out of the way, and got her attention again.

 

“Do you mind if we help?” Sam signed as he spoke, and Eileen could feel her smile growing wider.

 

“You've been practicing.” 

 

“Um, yeah. I thought… just in case. You know.” The bashful expression on Sam's face was so cute, Eileen wondered if she should just put him out of his misery.

 

Dean turned to his brother then, and said something. Eileen didn't quite catch it, but it caused Sam to blush, before telling Dean to go and look in the bedroom, while he all but pushed him through the doorway.

 

When he returned his focus back to Eileen she chuckled. “You and Dean are fighting?” She knew that Dean was just giving Sam shit, but she was enjoying watching him squirm just a bit too much.

 

“No, we just… he’s an idiot.” Sam slowly swept his gaze around the room, then fixed it back on Eileen. “So, you got any ideas what we’re dealing with?” 

 

‘I’m thinking cursed object. I haven't found any evidence of witchcraft, so it looks like the most likely explanation.” 

 

“We should try to work out what it is before anyone else touches it. Shit!” Sam cursed and ran out of the room, presumably towards Dean. Eileen followed, realizing at the same time as Sam that Dean could be in danger.

 

Dean was laughing and waving around a purple dildo that he had found. “Hey Sammy, biting… sex toys… they-” He stopped talking and clutched his stomach, dropping the dildo on the floor. 

 

“Dean, are you okay?” Sam grabbed hold of his brother’s arm with one hand, and used the other to lift his head to look into his eyes. 

 

When he spoke to Eileen again he looked worried. “His eyes are bloodshot and the pupils dilated. Dammit.”

 

Dean straightened up suddenly and Eileen could see his agitation. “I need Cas.”

 

“I don’t think Cas will be able to fix this Dean. Just sit down on the bed and we’ll look for a cure.” Sam grabbed hold of Dean again and pushed him to sit down on the bed.

 

“No. I need Cas. On this bed. I need him Sammy. I want to kiss him, bite him and-”

 

“Woah, stop.” Sam looked embarrassed by his brother’s words. “I do not want to hear that.”

 

Eileen got the attention of both men, before speaking. “I have a spell which might reverse the effects of the curse.” She went outside to her car, and retrieved a book, then went back into the house. On her return she was greeted with the sight of the two brothers in a kind of wrestling contest; Sam was obviously trying to stop Dean from doing something stupid like calling the angel - who he clearly thought of as more than a friend - or driving across the country to find him. 

 

After putting the book down on the dresser, Eileen helped Sam to hold Dean in place by sitting on his legs. This move effectively pinned him to the bed, and she was able to speak to the younger Winchester as he held Dean’s arms down. “Sam, you’re going to have to restrain him until I get this curse lifted.”

 

The look of horror on Sam’s face surprised Eileen, and she raised her eyebrows in question. 

 

“Eileen, you’re in danger. What if Dean tries to bite you, or… worse? You should get off him.” As he spoke Sam took hold of Eileen’s hand and gently pulled her away from his now seemingly rabid brother. 

 

“You don’t need to protect me Sam. I can handle myself.” Eileen was a little offended at Sam’s overprotectiveness, even though she recognized that it came from a good place.

 

“I know, and I’m sorry. Maybe you should just… do it-” Now that Eileen was no longer sitting on Dean, he was once again fighting harder against Sam.

 

Eileen quickly flicked through the pages to find what she was looking for. When she had found the relevant page she began to read the words out loud; hoping that they would work for Dean. Sadly, as the spell was finished, it became obvious that it hadn’t worked. “I am sorry Sam, this is going to need more research, and Dean will have to be kept out of harm’s way.”

 

“Research? I think I can handle that. In fact, we have quite a good library in the bunker. And somewhere we can safely hold Dean.”

 

“You need to bring the… erm… cursed object with you. I’ve got a box you can put it in. I’ll do some research of my own too, and let you know if I find anything.”

 

Sam’s face fell. “You could come with us… I mean, we’re gonna need as many people on this as possible. And we have a lot of spare rooms, so if you needed to stay over you’d be quite comfortable. And it is the Men of Letters bunker, so you might find it interesting-” Sam was rambling, and Eileen was finding it harder and harder to not find it adorable.

 

Eileen turned her best flirty face onto Sam. “Sam, if you want me to come back to your place you just have to ask. Especially if I can help you with Dean.” 

 

The smile that lit up Sam’s face then was breathtaking. “O-okay. Then let’s get out of here.”

 

To say Eileen was impressed by Sam’s strength as he maneuvered his brother out of the house and into the Impala was an understatement. Dean fought all the way, but Sam never once broke his hold. Once they reached the car he faced Eileen again. “I need you to get me something out of the trunk - a set of handcuffs, in my duffel. The car keys are in Dean’s pocket.” 

 

Eileen raised her eyebrows and grinned playfully at the man. “Handcuffs, Sam? It’s a little early in our relationship, isn’t it?” It was hard not to laugh at the sight of the giant of a man - a seasoned hunter, no less - blushing furiously, but Eileen managed to keep a straight face as she fished the keys out of the pocket that Sam had gestured towards. She unlocked the trunk and located the handcuffs, which were covered in markings - Enochian, she was certain of it. She handed them to Sam, who made quick work of securing Dean with them and getting him into the back seat.

 

Catching his breath for a moment, Sam focused his attention on Eileen once more. “So...  it shouldn’t be more than a two hour drive. I’ll wait while you get your car, then follow me.”

 

“Sure Sam.” As Eileen went around the side of the house to get her car she felt excitement at the thought of finally getting to see the Men of Letters bunker, and find out more about her legacy. She also wasn’t too unhappy about having to spend more time with Sam, although she wasn’t quite ready to admit this yet.

  
  


* * *

 

Sam started the Impala’s engine and watched the rearview mirror; waiting for Eileen and her car to appear. Dean mumbled incoherently from the back seat, bringing Sam’s attention back to the task at hand, rather than the woman he definitely had feelings for. Just as he was beginning to feel guilty about the amount of time he was devoting to thinking about her, she came into view and he pulled out into the road.

 

They made it to Lebanon in good time, and when they arrived Sam drove straight into the garage, with Eileen right behind. He needed to get Dean into the dungeon as quickly as possible, and get researching for a cure. He waited a few moments for Eileen; watching her as she took in the sight of all the vintage cars, then they went through the doors into the main body of the building. Again, Sam paused and watched as Eileen looked around in wonder, then brought Dean down to the dungeon.

 

Eileen caught up with them once she had gathered herself together, and spoke with a smile on her face. “This place is amazing Sam.” The smile became a grimace when she saw where they were. “Well… this isn’t so amazing. Where are we?”

 

“It’s the dungeon. We use it to hold demons, Kings of hell, people under curses who need restraining for their own good.” Sam glanced at his brother sadly, hoping that this would be a very short stay.

 

“Cas!” Dean shouted pointlessly. Then he glared at Sam. “Sam, what… why am I-? I need Cas. Please.” 

 

Dean’s pitiful expression pained Sam, and he bent down to give the older Winchester a hug. “I’m sorry, Dean. We’re gonna find the cure and fix you real quick. I promise.” He hurried away - not wishing to see anymore of Dean’s suffering - bolting the doors once he and Eileen were outside. 

 

Eileen placed her hand gently on Sam’s arm, and he immediately felt comforted by the gesture. “We will find the cure Sam, I’m going to help you.”

 

“Thanks.” Sam led Eileen to the library, feeling a sense of pride at the gasp of surprise when she saw all the books.

 

“Quite a good library?” Eileen smirked, giving Sam a playful punch to the shoulder. “Seriously?” She then moved away to pluck some books from the shelves as Sam did the same. They sat reading together, looking for any helpful information they could use. 

 

As the afternoon shifted into evening, Sam made coffee and snacks for the two of them, then ordered takeout; each time bringing some down to Dean. Although Eileen offered to help, Sam refused; concerned for her safety with his sex-crazed brother. Although, come to think of it, Dean had shown no interest in her at all - he had only been focused on Cas. Huh…go figure.

 

By ten o’clock it became obvious that Eileen was going to have to stay the night there, so Sam prepared one of the bedrooms for her. Not next to his - he wanted her to know that he respected her need for space - it was at the other end of the hallway. Close enough to be there if she needed him, but far away enough…  _ God _ , this was so exhausting. Usually, when Sam hooked up with a woman, he was pretty certain that they wouldn’t see each other again, so he didn’t have to be quite so careful. Not that he didn’t have respect for every woman he had connected with, but with Eileen it felt different. She already meant a lot to him, and he wanted her to feel safe and comfortable.

 

Upon Sam’s return to the library, Eileen smiled brightly at him, and he swallowed nervously. “I, um… I prepared a room for you to sleep in. I’ll show you where it is.” 

 

Sam led the way through the hallways, until they reached the bedrooms. “Here’s your room.” He gestured towards the door, and Eileen went inside, immediately noticing her bag that Sam had retrieved from her car.

 

“Thanks.” Eileen walked back to the doorway, poked her head out to look from side to side, then fixed her gaze on Sam. “So, which room is yours? In case I need you in the night?”

 

“Oh. It’s just a few doors away - number 21.” Sam stood transfixed, wondering what Eileen would do next.

 

“Alright. Well, goodnight Sam.” Eileen reached up to give Sam a kiss on the cheek, but he moved his face at the last moment, causing their lips to brush briefly.

 

Embarrassed, Sam jumped backwards and would have left if Eileen hadn’t grabbed hold of his shirt, and pulled him towards her. Keeping a steady eye contact, she pushed closer, so that their mouths were almost touching. Sam’s breathing became shallower as he tingled in anticipation for the kiss that they were about to share. They both inched forwards, sharing the same air, then… 

 

“SAM! CAS!” The shouts echoed through the bunker, making Sam jump. 

 

“What’s wrong?” Eileen’s expression turned from desire to concern in a split second.

 

“Dean is shouting. I need to go see him. Sorry Eileen, goodnight.” Sam was already on his way to check on Dean, and he heard the bedroom door close behind him, with a sense of sadness. 

 

Sam felt nothing but concern for Dean’s well-being when he reached him. The shouting from his brother had gotten louder, and he looked like he was about ready to rip his hands off in order to escape.

 

“Hey hey, Dean. It’s me, Sam. Please, you’re going to hurt yourself.” Sam was starting to feel hopeless, when Eileen appeared with a small bottle of something in her hand. Before Sam could ask what it was, she spoke.

 

“It isn’t a cure, but it should help calm him down for a few hours, maybe even help him sleep.” Eileen pressed the bottle into Sam’s hand, and he took it gratefully. 

 

“Thanks, this is… it’s-“

 

“That’s okay, Sam. I will see you in the morning. And you too, Dean.” 

 

Sam smiled at Eileen as she left, then gave the potion to Dean, making sure he swallowed it all. Dean’s glassy eyes began to droop, and Sam got him to lie on the bedding he had put down earlier. Whatever Eileen had put in it, Sam was thankful for her knowledge, and impressed too. The moment he was sure Dean was asleep, Sam went to his room to change into his pajamas and fetch some bedding of his own, then returned to sleep on the floor next to his brother.


	3. Chapter 3

When Eileen awoke she was disappointed, but not surprised, that Sam had not visited her in the night. After all, he had probably spent the entire night worrying about Dean, and anyway, she hadn’t exactly invited him for a sleepover. She passed Sam’s door on the way to the showers, and briefly thought about knocking, but she stopped short of actually doing it. The shower was refreshing - great water pressure - and once she was dressed she made her way to the kitchen.

 

There was no sign of Sam, or Dean, but there was a coffee machine, and Eileen switched it on gratefully. While the machine did its thing, Eileen had a look around some of the places she hadn’t seen yesterday. It was a beautifully constructed building; heavily fortified and warded against… well, pretty much anything. The library was one of the most impressive she had ever seen, and the kitchen was all stainless steel and chrome. The art deco look of the fixtures and fittings was truly lovely. But she got the impression that it could quite easily feel lonely and isolated.

 

As she poured the coffee into a mug that inexplicably had the word ‘jerk’ written on the side, she thought again about that almost-kiss between she and Sam. It would have been perfect, she just knew it, and hopefully they would get another opportunity. She smiled dreamily at the thought, just as the man in question appeared in the kitchen doorway. His clothes were rumpled, and his long hair was a disaster, but he was still as sexy as hell. 

 

“Good morning, Eileen.” Sam signed before rubbing the back of his neck with his hand, then yawned and stretched.

 

_ Dear god, the way Sam’s muscles moved under his shirt _ ! Eileen was glad for the distraction of the coffee she held in her hands, or she would probably have jumped him then and there. Opting for nonchalance instead, she pointed to the coffee machine. 

 

“Good morning, Sam. Would you like some?” 

 

Sam’s face turned red as Eileen realized how what she had just said sounded, and she chuckled. “Coffee. Do you want coffee?”

 

“Thanks.” Sam nodded and grabbed a mug, holding it out to her so that she could fill it. "Cas called. It's hard to have an angel who can feel when someone longs for him and a brother who refuses to say anything until he is cursed to do anything but. I'll call if we need to get him involved but I really don't think this is the best way for Dean to come out."

 

“How is Dean?”

 

Sam’s face fell. “He’s the same as yesterday. Fighting, trying to escape… we need to get this sorted. Fast.”

 

Eileen took hold of his hand and squeezed it. “We’ll fix it. We will. Let’s get back to the books.”

 

Sam shot her a grateful smile, then they went back into the library to pick back up where they had left off yesterday. Eileen was hungry, but if Sam could wait to eat then so could she - this was too urgent.

 

About an hour after they had started Sam suddenly jumped up and pushed his book towards Eileen. “Look, I’ve found something.” He moved around the table to point out what he had found, pulling a chair with him so that he could sit next to her. Running his fingers over the page, he turned to face her so that she could see his mouth.  _ His mouth _ … Oh boy.

 

Eileen knew that she was supposed to be looking at the book, but it was becoming increasingly difficult to focus with Sam sitting so close. It took all of her willpower to wrench her gaze away from him - and to be fair, he was staring at her too - and onto the book in front of them. 

 

When she looked at it properly though, Eileen felt nothing but excitement. The spell should definitely work, so she gave Sam an encouraging smile to show him. “Yes, this is it. We just have to get the ingredients together.”

 

“We already have most of this stuff. I’ll show you the supply room so that you can collect them together, while I make a trip to get the rest… If that’s okay with you, that is.” Sam appeared sheepish at how carried away he had become, but Eileen laughed and brushed it off.

 

“Sure. I can do that.” 

 

Eileen followed Sam to the room, which appeared to be one of many storage rooms in the bunker. Just as he was about to leave she took hold of his arm, and turned him back to face her. Leaning in close, she put her mouth next to his ear, gently brushing it with her lips as she did. “Could you get me something to eat. I’m starving.” With a chuckle, she pulled away, and watched Sam attempt to pull himself together before walking out of the room.

  
  


* * *

Sam was in a kind of daze as he left the bunker to get what they needed for the spell - and some food for Eileen.  _ Must not forget that _ . He should probably get himself something to eat as well, but he found that just thinking about Eileen was giving him a serious case of butterflies. He found his mind wandering to her as he drove...  her eyes, her mouth, that beautiful smile.  _ Man _ . He had to admit, he was really smitten. A sudden realization that she would almost certainly be leaving as soon as Dean was free of the spell brought him sadly back to reality.

 

Once he had picked up the supplies, and some pastries and fruit (and bacon and eggs just in case Eileen didn’t want a healthy breakfast), Sam made his way back to the bunker. He was determined to keep all of his focus on Dean; until he was out of danger at least, anyway.

 

“Hey, Eileen.” Sam went over to her where she was sitting at the table; a bowl of ingredients waiting in front of her. 

 

“You just have to add the final ingredients, including some blood from Dean, then we can perform the spell. We’ll need to be in the same room as him and the cursed… um-“ Eileen tailed off, obviously not wanting to say it out loud, and Sam had to stop himself from laughing. He found her unexpected coyness after all the blatant flirting quite sweet, somehow.

 

Sam dug out what they needed from the bag, then added some to the bowl. When that was done, he and Eileen went to the dungeon, stopping on the way to retrieve the cursed dildo. Sam shook his head at how ridiculous this was - why would anyone put a curse on a sex toy? He figured that it must have been a jilted lover of one of the victims, aiming to get revenge. It wouldn’t be a bad idea to try to identify the person, and stop them before something like this happened again.

 

The sight that greeted them when they opened the door to the dungeon was pitiful. Dean had obviously been trying to break free of the handcuffs, and had wreaked havoc on everything within reach. Now he was sitting on the floor silently crying. He looked up at his brother and sniffed.

 

“Sam? I need to get out of here. I have to find Cas so we can-”

 

“Hey. It’s okay Dean. You’ll be out of here real soon.” Sam soothed, as Eileen took his hand and made a cut big enough to get the right amount of blood. It was clear that she had done this before, and Sam was nothing but impressed at how skilled she was. Dean hadn’t even seemed to feel anything.

 

Placing the bowl on the floor, Sam started to read the words from the book while Eileen prepared to drop Dean’s blood into it at exactly the right time. The moment she did this, a purple light flashed, and Dean cried out before slumping ungracefully to the floor. Sam finished the chant, even though he wanted to rush over immediately to his brother to check on him. 

 

As soon as it was done he dropped the book onto the floor, and crouched down beside Dean, who appeared to be in a deep sleep. He looked to Eileen for some guidance; unsure whether he should release him from the handcuffs, or wait until they knew if the curse was lifted or not.

 

“Let’s leave him to sleep for a while, and you can make me something to eat.” Eileen pulled gently at Sam’s sleeve, and they headed to the kitchen, after Sam had picked the box containing the sex toy back up. He was going to put it away where no-one else would ever find it again.

 

Remembering that he had left the bag of food in the library, Sam went off to get it, leaving Eileen alone in the kitchen. When he returned she had switched on the coffee machine, and was sitting on one of the worktops, swinging her legs. 

 

“What would you like to eat? Pastries and fruit, or bacon and eggs?” Sam held the bag out towards Eileen as he asked the question.

 

“Bacon and eggs. I like to get some meat whenever I can.” Eileen smiled mischievously, and Sam suddenly felt like he couldn’t breathe properly. So, they were back to the flirting again, were they? Well, bring it on.

 

“I think you’ll be happy with what I give you.” Sam turned away to start making the food, so he didn’t see Eileen’s reaction, but he was pretty certain he heard her giggle. 

 

Sam made omelets with crispy bacon on the side, and after saving some for Dean, Sam served it up for him and Eileen. They sat and ate at the kitchen table, and Sam found himself savouring the domesticity of it all. He could really get used to this - it felt warm and cosy.

 

“Do you think you might be able to stick around for a while?” Sam tried to come off as nonchalant; like the answer wasn’t important either way.

 

“I should hit the road, once we know Dean is okay.” 

 

Sam tried - and failed - to cover up the disappointment he felt, and Eileen made a sympathetic face. 

 

“I promise to visit you and Dean when I’m back this way. If a hunt brings me in this direction…” Eileen smiled sweetly, and Sam accepted that he was going to have to just deal with her leaving sooner, rather than later.

 

“You’d better.” Sam cleared the table, and put the dishes in the sink for later, then turned back to Eileen. “Shall we check on Dean?”

 

Eileen nodded, and they went back to the dungeon - hopefully for the last time. Dean was sitting up, and stared wide-eyed at them as they came through the door.

 

“Hey Sam, Eileen. Nice of you to come get me. What the hell am I doing in the dungeon, in handcuffs? And why do I have such a bad headache?”

 

Sam chuckled. Dean was definitely feeling better. He reached down to release his brother from his restraints, then helped him to his feet. “You don’t remember?”

 

“Remember what? Last thing I remember we were in that house - Eileen was there - looking for a cursed object, then I wake up here.”

 

“Yeah, you found it - the object -  and were affected by the spell. We had to lock you up, for your safety.”

 

“I found it? What was it?”

 

Sam blushed at the thought of having to explain in front of Eileen. “I-it was a… dildo.”

 

“What?” Dean looked shocked at first, then started to laugh. Sam and Eileen couldn’t help joining in; partly out of relief, and partly because the whole thing had been so crazy.

 

“Eileen helped me find a spell to cure you of the effects. But dude, you’ve gotta be more careful in the future. Don’t go round just picking things up when we’re looking for a cursed object.”

 

“Okay Sammy. Noted.” Dean paused for a few seconds, then spoke again. “How did the… it affect me? What did I do?”

 

_ Shit _ . Sam was really hoping that his brother wouldn’t ask that question; he didn’t want to out Dean to… Dean. He was wondering how to tell him about the way he had pleaded for Cas when Eileen answered instead.

 

“You kept saying that you wanted someone to love. Sam had to keep me away from you, for my protection.” When she had finished speaking she turned to Sam and winked, before turning quickly back to Dean. Sam swore he could feel himself melting.

 

Dean looked horrified. “Oh man, Eileen. I… I’m sorry.”

 

Sam was kind of ashamed that Dean was now feeling guilty for something he hadn’t actually done, but until his brother was able to actually admit his feelings for Cas maybe it was for the best.

 

Eileen ruffled Dean’s hair playfully. “Dean, you were cursed. Don’t worry about it… okay?”

 

“Yeah, okay. Is there anything to eat? I’m starving.”

 

_ Well, okay _ , Dean was obviously feeling better. “I saved you some omelets and bacon - it’s in the kitchen.

 

“Nice. And thanks Sammy. For taking care of me, and making me food.” Dean rubbed his hands together in excitement as he walked towards the kitchen, Sam and Eileen following behind.

 

Before they reached the doorway, Eileen put her hand on Sam’s arm to get his attention. “I have to go.”

 

Sam’s heart sank, but he put on a false smile for Eileen’s benefit. “Thank you, for everything. I… don’t know what I-we would have done without your help.”

 

“You’re welcome. I was happy to help.” Eileen spoke to Sam, then walked into the kitchen to speak to Dean. “I’m glad you’re alright Dean. I will see you again soon, just… stay out of trouble.”

 

Dean swallowed his mouthful of food, and glanced at Sam, standing sadly in the doorway, then back to Eileen. “You sure you have to leave right now? I wanted to cook for you, you know… to say thanks.”

 

“Next time. I promise.” Eileen hugged Dean goodbye, and he chuckled as she squeezed him.

 

She let Dean go, and went back over to Sam. “See me out?”

 

“Yeah, sure thing.”

 

They walked up to the garage, to Eileen’s car. After throwing her bags into the trunk, she smiled up at Sam.

 

“This was fun. Well… apart from your brother being cursed. But it was good working with you again.” Eileen moved closer to Sam as she spoke. “I will see you soon, Sam. For one thing, this place is too nice not to come back.”

 

Before Sam could say anything else, Eileen surged forward and planted a kiss on his lips. The kiss started out gentle, but became more heated when Sam put his hands on the sides of her face, and she let out a little moan. Eileen placed her hands on the back of his head to pull him closer, and he could feel himself melting into her.

 

Just as Sam was wondering if Eileen had changed her mind, and was going to drag him off to his bedroom, she pulled back and stared deeply into his eyes. 

 

“Until next time.” Eileen got into the car and drove away, leaving Sam stunned. He touched his fingers to his lips, trying to memorize how Eileen’s mouth felt on his.  _ Oh boy _ . As goodbye kisses go, that was definitely the best. 

 

As he went back to find Dean, Sam wondered how long it would be before he saw Eileen again. He hoped that it would be very soon.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have put the parts where Eileen and other characters are speaking in sign language in bold.

Eileen drove away from the bunker, feeling a mixture of exhilaration and sadness. That had been some kiss she and Sam had shared, and from the way he responded it was obvious that he felt the same. But she wasn’t ready to give herself to him fully yet; it was probably best for both of them for her to keep on moving for the moment.

 

There was a case she wanted to investigate in Virginia City, Montana. The victims had all been killed in the same way, and she was pretty sure that she was looking for a Kitsune. It was going to be a long drive, and she would have to stop somewhere overnight, but she got a thrill from this whole process. Examining the scene, investigating the area and people close to the victims, trapping and dealing with the creature… it made the travelling and crappy motels worth it.

 

When Eileen arrived at the scene the following day, she quickly determined that yes, it was a Kitsune. There had been two victims, both with parts of their brains missing, and by the evening of the next day it had been caught and disposed of. Only then, when she had wrapped things up, did Eileen allow herself to think about Sam Winchester. About the way he had looked at her after she had kissed him. _Damn_. She could easily have got lost in those eyes.

 

For the next three or four weeks things carried on pretty much the same as this. Eileen was always determinedly focused on whatever job she would currently be working on. No job would last more than two days, then she would move onto the next one. Then, in her downtime she would give herself the luxury of thoughts and fantasies about Sam. Spending time with him had been… nice. They worked well together, and those omelets he’d cooked had been delicious.

 

By the end of the fourth week, Eileen decided to stop denying herself happiness, like somehow she didn’t need it, and got in contact with Sam. FaceTiming him meant that they could see each other, and it wouldn’t hurt to see that beautiful smile again. As she waited for Sam to answer Eileen suddenly felt nervous, but before she could change her mind there he was, on the screen. She felt a warmth flooding through her at the sight of him, just barely taking in that he was in the bunker library, probably sitting at that long table in the centre of the room.

 

“ **_Hey Eileen_ **.” Sam signed more confidently than last time as he spoke, and didn’t that fill Eileen’s stomach with butterflies? The thought that he was learning this for her made her happier than she would like to admit.

 

“ **_Hello Sam_ ** **.** **_How are you_ ** ? **_How is Dean_ **?” Eileen signed back as she spoke.

 

“ **_We’re good_ ** _._ **_Neither of us has been practice since we last saw you_ ** _._ ” Sam said the word ‘cursed’, but signed ‘practice’ and Eileen chuckled at his little mistake. She didn’t correct him though, maybe she would show him properly when they next met up. _So, there’s going to be a next time then_?

 

Realizing that she was actually having an internal discussion with herself instead of talking to Sam, Eileen smiled back at him. “ **_That’s great_ ** _._ **_I don’t know if I have time to come and rescue you again_ **.”

 

Sam laughed, and Eileen felt those butterflies again. “ **_Well_ ** _,_ **_you’re always welcome_ ** _,_ **_even if we don’t need rescuing_ ** _._ **_Especially if we don’t need rescuing_ **.”

 

“ **_Did you tell Dean the truth_ **?”

 

“ **_No_ ** _._ **_Maybe if he ever gets his head out of his ass_ ** _,_ **_and tells Cas the truth_ ** …”

 

Eileen chuckled again. The way Dean had spoken about and called for his friend had seemed pretty obvious, even to her. Maybe Cas didn’t return his feelings, and that’s why he only said those things because he was under a spell. “ **_He seems pretty hung up on the guy_ **.”

 

“ **_Yeah_ ** _._ **_Us Winchesters aren’t very good at admitting our feelings_ ** _,_ **_even to ourselves_ **.”

 

 _Oh_.

 

There was an awkward pause while Eileen processed what Sam had just said, which was thankfully broken when Dean appeared behind his brother.

 

“Eileen, hey. How are you doing?” Dean leaned over Sam’s shoulder so that Eileen could see his face clearly. He looked genuinely pleased to see her.

 

“Hello Dean. I’m great, thanks. I’ve had a few cases, sorted them without any problems.”

 

“Yeah, we heard.” Dean gave Sam a look which Eileen couldn’t quite make out. “Seems you’ve been making a name for yourself.”

 

Eileen beamed at them both, full of satisfaction at the knowledge that even the Winchesters had heard of her exploits.

 

Dean hesitated for a moment, then leaned forward again. “Well, I’ll leave you to talk to Sammy. Don’t distract him from his research too much.” He nudged his brother in the shoulder, and Sam blushed. “Come and see us again… okay?”

 

“Bye Dean, and thank you.” Eileen watched Dean leave, then turned her attention back to Sam.

 

“ **_You know, I was thinking_ ** _._ **_If we kept in regular contact I could point you towards cases_ ** _,_ **_and hook you up with other hunters if you need help_ **.” Sam wore an earnest expression, which Eileen couldn’t resist.

 

“ ** _Sure_** _,_ ** _Sam_**. **_I think that’s a great idea_**.”

 

To say that Sam looked surprised when Eileen agreed would be an understatement, but the look of surprise was quickly replaced by an expression of sheer joy. One which Eileen returned without hesitation.

 

“ **_Okay_ ** _,_ **_I will keep in touch_ ** _._ And you’ll let me know if there is anything I can help with.”

 

“ **_Yes_ ** _._ **_It was really good to hear from you Eileen_ ** _._ ” Sam seemed reluctant to end the call, so Eileen did it, after a quick wave goodbye.

 

 _That wasn’t so bad_. In fact, it had been pretty great, and now they had the perfect excuse to call each other.

 

Over the next two weeks they had a total of five calls, which gradually got longer and longer. There were a couple of cases to discuss, and Sam told Eileen that their mom had returned from the dead - it had actually happened before she last saw them, but he had only just wanted to tell her - but mostly they just talked, about anything and everything. From what foods they liked to eat, to books they’d read... monsters they had encountered. Their interactions began to feel more and more comfortable.

 

Then, just as Eileen felt that their connection was becoming something special, it seemed as if Sam suddenly disappeared off the face of the Earth. For almost three weeks she tried contacting him every day, but got no answer. Of course, she knew that the likelihood was that he was on a hunt, but as the days went by she became increasingly concerned for his safety. Christmas and New Year had come and gone, and the hope that she would at least speak to Sam over the holidays, if not actually see him, had turned into worry.

 

As she was beginning to wonder if she should try getting in touch with other hunters and make discreet enquiries about the whereabouts of the Winchesters - yes, apparently Dean was also missing - one of her calls was finally answered. Except the face she saw was not Sam; it was someone she didn’t recognize. A man with dark hair and piercing blue eyes, who looked exhausted and worried. He didn’t speak, but stared intensely into the screen.

 

“ **_Hello_ ** _._ **_I am looking for Sam_ ** _…_ **_Sam Winchester_ ** _._ **_Is he there_ **?”

 

“ **_No_ ** _._ **_He is_ ** _…_ **_not here at the moment_ **.” The man signed as if it came quite naturally to him, but Eileen immediately sensed that he was holding something back.

 

“ **_Is Dean there_ ** ? **_I’m Eileen Leahy_ ** _,_ **_a friend of theirs_ ** .” At the mention of Dean’s name Eileen saw pain flicker in the man’s eyes, and she instantly realized who he was. “ **_You’re Castiel_ ** _,_ **_aren’t you_ ** ? **_Sam and Dean have told me about you_ **.”

 

“ **_Yes_ ** _,_ **_I am_ ** _._ **_I_ ** _,_ **_er_ ** _…_ **_I need to go_ ** _._ **_I am sorry you were not able to speak to them_ **.”

 

“ **_Is everything okay_ **?” Eileen could see the distress on the angel’s face, and she was pretty sure it had something to do with the Winchesters, and her not being able to talk to them.

 

There was a long pause while Cas was obviously trying to decide how much to tell Eileen. She wondered if Sam had mentioned her at all, but she hadn’t noticed any recognition when she told Cas her name. Although he did appear to be quite distracted.

 

“ **_No_ ** _,_ **_not_ ** _…_ **_I can’t really_ ** _..._ **_I am unable to locate them_ **.”

 

Eileen’s stomach dropped at these words. If an angel could not find them they must be in serious trouble.

 

“ **_I’d like to help if I can_ ** _._ **_I am a hunter too_ **.”

 

“ **_Thank you_ ** _,_ **_but I do not think you would be_ ** _…_ **_we_ ** _-_ **_I will find them_ **.”

 

“ **_Okay_ ** _,_ **_but if you want my help you can call me_ **.” Eileen was certain that Cas would never ask for her help, but she felt the need to offer anyway.

 

“ **_Thank you_ ** _._ **_I will_ **.” Cas’s face disappeared from the screen, and Eileen was left with a feeling of dread. She had really wanted Cas to confide in her about what had happened and why he was so worried. But why would he? He was right to be wary of her; she just hoped that Sam and Dean would turn up safe and well. She attempted to look into Sam and Dean, and their possible whereabouts, but there was absolutely nothing. No clues or trails; it was infuriating.

 

Eight days later Eileen tried again, and spoke with Cas once more. He looked just as distraught as the first time, but was slightly less guarded.

 

He greeted her as soon as he saw her face. “ **_Hello Eileen_ ** _._ **_I have no news for you regarding Sam and Dean_ ** _._ **_They are still_ ** _…_ **_missing_ **.”

 

Eileen could feel Cas’s distress, and she desperately wanted to reach out to him. Despite not being a particularly touchy feely person, especially with strangers, she could still provide comfort when needed.

 

“ **_I’m sorry_ ** _,_ **_Castiel_ ** _._ **_I hope you find them soon_ **.”

 

“ **_Thank you_ **.” Cas smiled sadly.

 

They said their goodbyes, then Eileen sat staring blankly for a long time. Surely someone must know something…

 

Another agonizing two weeks and three days went by with no news; Eileen tried to concentrate on the cases she worked, but her mind wasn’t always fully focused. A nasty injury from a wraith told her as much. Then one morning, just as she had started to fear that maybe the worst had happened to Sam and Dean, she received an incoming call. Fully expecting it to be Cas, the sight of Sam’s face gave her an overwhelming sense of relief.

 

“ **_Sam_ ** _,_ **_it’s you_ ** ! **_What happened to you_ ** ? **_Are you alright_ **?”

 

“ **_Hey Eileen_ ** _._ **_I’m fine, don’t worry_ **.” Sam looked tired, but more than happy to see her.

 

“ ** _And Dean_**? **_He’s okay_**?”

 

“ **_Yeah_ ** _,_ **_we’re good_ ** . **_We’re both just_ ** _…_ **_it’s a long story_ ** . **_Do you wanna meet up_ ** _, **so**_ ** _I can explain properly_ ** _?_ **_It would be really good to catch up_ **.”

 

“ **_Yes_ ** !” Eileen worried for a moment that she might be coming across as too eager, but then she figured that she didn’t really care. Seeing Sam again would be more than agreeable. “ **_I don’t have any cases right now_ **.” This wasn’t exactly true, but there were other hunters she could contact about the werewolf she was tracking. She was already mentally going through the list of hunters she could ask.

 

“ **_Great_ ** _._ **_I don’t think you should come here though_ ** _,_ **_there’s some stuff going on between Dean and Cas_ ** _._ **_Another long story_ **.” Sam shook his head and rolled his eyes.

 

“ **_I’m in Eagle Grove_ ** _,_ **_Iowa_ ** _._ **_We could meet somewhere in the middle_ **?”

 

“ **_Yeah_ ** _,_ **_I’d like that_ **.” Sam’s smile took Eileen’s breath away, and she realized that she was just gazing at him.

 

“ **_So_ ** _,_ **_where should we meet_ ** ? **_I’m not sure how far away I am_ **.” Another little lie - Eileen knew exactly how far away she was.

 

Sam clicked a few things on his laptop, then turned his attention back to Eileen. “ **_How about Omaha_ ** ? **_It should take us both around three and a half hours_ **.”

 

“ **_Okay_ ** _,_ **_that sounds perfect_ **.”

 

“ **_Great_ ** _._ **_Call me when you get there_ ** . **_It’s really good to see you_ ** _,_ **_Eileen_ **.”

 

With a happy heart for the first time in weeks, Eileen set off towards Omaha.

 

* * *

 

Sam didn’t tell Dean where he was going. The silent treatment his brother and Cas were giving each other was more annoying than them fighting, and he was sick of it. He hit the road about ten minutes after saying goodbye to Eileen, and he spent the drive thinking about her, rather than what he had left behind.

 

When Sam was about fifteen minutes out from Omaha Eileen texted to tell him that she had found a place to eat - Duggers Cafe - and gave him the address. As he parked up he felt a nervousness, which pleased him. It was infinitely more preferable than the emptiness he had experienced during the last few weeks.

 

Sam looked through the window and saw Eileen already seated, a serene smile lighting up her face. Steadying himself, he went inside and over to her table, then tapped her on the shoulder. She jumped out of her seat and gave Sam a hug, which felt so good, he really didn’t want her to ever let go.

 

When Eileen finally released him there were tears shining in her eyes. “I’m so glad you’re okay, Sam. I was really scared. Cas was too.”

 

“I know, and I’m sorry. Cas told me you called. Man, he was a mess.”

 

“So, where were you? Can you tell me?”

 

“Yeah, let’s order first, I’m starving.” Sam waved for the waitress to come over; he ordered a chicken salad and Eileen ordered a hamburger, and they each asked for coffee. Then Eileen watched him as he started to tell her what had happened, and why Cas had been so secretive.

 

“So, this story might seem crazy, but it’s true. Every word. The president was being possessed by Lucifer - yeah, _the_ Lucifer - and he got his mistress pregnant. The president’s mistress, that is. Kelly. You probably know that a nephil is considered an abomination, and could be extremely dangerous - even more so, as this is Lucifer’s child. So, we hatched a plan to eject him from the president’s vessel, and get rid of his child. But the secret service thought we were trying to assassinate the president and locked us up in a secret facility.” Sam’s face fell, and Eileen reached across the table to squeeze his hand.

 

“We were kept there for over six weeks. Man, it was hell - worse than hell. We were in isolation for the whole time, no interrogation after the first day, no contact with anyone. Just… nothing. They were trying to make us crack, and they succeeded.”

 

“That-that’s awful, Sam. Treating people like that is… well, it’s evil.”

 

“Yeah.” Sam frowned at the memory.

 

“So how did you get out?”

 

“Dean summoned this reaper we’d met before - Billie - to make a deal. We die, they put us in the morgue, then we escape to say goodbye to our loved ones. Then… well… one of us dies for real.”

 

“You made a deal that means one of you dies? Oh god, Sam. You’re going to die?” Tears started to fall from Eileen’s eyes, and Sam lifted his hand to wipe them away gently with his thumb.

 

“No. So, here’s the thing… after we escape Dean rings Cas...of course he does. Cas calls mom, and they try to find us, but they needed help from the British Men of Letters. But that’s not… anyway, we meet up with mom and Cas, then Billie arrives to collect. But Cas won’t let any of us die, not even mom, and he kills Billie before she can take any of us. But now that means cosmic consequences, and Dean is pissed at Cas. Won’t even talk to him. Instead of talking to each other like adults they’re avoiding each other, or sniping. I know that Dean’s scared - the thought of Cas dying, he doesn’t want to even think about that. But shit, I want to bang their heads together so bad. Grow up, guys!” Sam rolled his eyes and made a face, which made Eileen chuckle.

 

“Oh yeah, so get this - turns out that Kelly gave Cas the slip right after we were arrested, and no one knows where she is. So Dean’s pissed about that too. Wasn’t Cas’s fault, but he might as well get the blame for that as well. Jeez.”

 

“No wonder Cas couldn’t tell me. That whole story is… messed up. But I’m glad you told me, and I’m very relieved that you’re okay.”

 

Just then the food arrived, and they sat and ate, sneaking glances at each other and smiling shyly, talking occasionally.

 

When they had finished eating Eileen spoke again. “So, what now? Are you going to try and find Kelly?”

 

“Yeah, that’s the plan. The power this child would have... we need to stop it before it’s too late.”

 

“Well, if you need my help, you only have to ask.”

 

“I’ll let you know, but thanks. It means a lot.”

 

There was a brief awkward silence once the bill was paid - neither of them quite knowing what to do. Eventually Sam stood up, with Eileen doing the same. They walked outside, then Sam turned to Eileen sadly.

 

“I should get back to the bunker, make sure those two idiots haven’t killed each other. I swear, if they don’t get their heads outta their asses soon I might have to tell Dean what really happened when he was cursed. Maybe then he’ll tell Cas the truth.”

 

“He might just need a push in the right direction.” Eileen had a mischievous expression, and Sam wondered if there was a double meaning to her words.

 

“Yeah, you might be right.” Sam pulled Eileen into a hug, and kissed her lightly on the cheek. “We’ll speak again soon, yeah?”

 

“Yes. Bye Sam.”

 

They parted company and Sam walked to his car feeling lighter than he had since he and Dean had escaped. He was ecstatic about being free, of course, but the atmosphere at the bunker had soured the mood somewhat. Maybe by the time he returned they might have sorted themselves out. He could but hope…

 

Sam should have known that nothing would have changed when he got back; he found Dean sitting at the table in the library, scowling and drinking a beer.

 

“Hey, how are you feeling?”

 

“Peachy. Everything’s just great, Sammy.” The sarcasm dripped from Dean’s tongue, and Sam was tempted to go to his room and hide, for a very long time.

 

“‘K. I’ll just go… yeah, go.” Sam started to leave the room, but Dean stopped him.

 

“Where have you been anyway? You’ve been gone all day.”

 

“I went to see Eileen.” From the look on Dean’s face he was expecting Sam to elaborate on that statement, but he didn’t say anymore.

 

Dean waited for a few seconds, then waggled his eyebrows suggestively. “Oh really? Eileen eh? How is she? Did you have a good time?”

 

“She’s great, yeah. It was nice.”

 

“Nice? Really, Sammy?” Dean shook his head in mock disgust, but before he could say anything else Sam retreated to the safety of his room.

 

Thankfully, within a week Dean and Cas had finally talked. Naturally, it was after Cas had almost been killed, but at least Dean had admitted that he wasn’t mad with Cas, but worried for him. Ishim, the angel who tried to kill him, had lied to and betrayed Cas, and nearly losing him had seemed to help Dean come to a decision that they should try talking to each other.

 

That night Sam found himself in his room, with his laptop, talking to Eileen. He relayed all of the events, to her, and they laughed about how ridiculous his brother and Cas were, ignoring their very obvious feelings for each other. A few days later he was in touch again, telling her about the spell Dean was hit by, which gradually made him forget everything he knew, and a week later, he related the traumatic experience of watching his good friend and the love of his brother’s life almost die in front of them. Eileen had stories of cases she had been working on too, but none of them had been quite as dramatic or emotionally draining as the ones the Winchesters had experienced.

 

On top of this, Sam confided in Eileen about how horrified he and Dean had been when their mom had told them that she was working with the British Men of Letters. She did this despite knowing how they had tortured Sam, and this upset him more than he could say. He had never really seen eye to eye with their dad, but John would never have worked with people who had hurt either of his sons - he would have hunted them down and killed them. Then, ignoring his own misgivings, he had started working with the Brits too, and was lying to Dean about it. Wanting to get it all off his chest, he told Eileen how it was tearing him apart, that he and Dean were really trying to be honest with each other these days, but he had kept this from Dean because he knew how upset he would be. In the end, his deception didn’t last very long and although Dean wasn’t happy about any of it, he seemed to appreciate Sam’s honesty, and reluctantly agreed that they would continue to work with them until something went wrong.

 

Something very nearly went badly wrong a few days later, when they took a werewolf case with Mick Davies, of the British Men of Letters. He got injured killing a young girl who had been turned, then they almost lost Claire after she was also bitten by the werewolf. Although Mick had come good in the end, and they saved Claire with a cure Sam had found, they had been badly shaken up by the whole incident.

 

Eileen was sympathetic when needed, her humour never failed to lift Sam’s spirits, and over the next few weeks they fell into the same pattern as they had before his incarceration. They would talk every couple of days, staying connected for as long as possible, then Sam would feel bereft after saying goodbye. Sadly, they never seemed to have time to meet up again, and as the days went by he felt increasingly frustrated about this.

 

When Cas called to tell Dean that Kelly Kline had been spotted, along with Dagon, Sam contacted Eileen immediately. He knew that she was in the area, and he also knew that she was good at what she did. Regrettably, it had been a few weeks since the sighting, but if anyone could help with this it was Eileen. He told her what information he had, then waited for her to report back.

 

This came a day later, when Sam was travelling in the Impala with Dean; inexplicably, he felt self-conscious talking to Eileen in front of his brother, but it wasn’t like this was the first time Dean had been there during one of their conversations. Sam just hoped that Dean wouldn’t behave inappropriately - although, seeing as Dean still believed he had hit on Eileen while he was cursed, this was unlikely.

 

“Hey.” Sam smiled as Eileen appeared on the screen.

 

“ **_Hello Sam_ ** _._ **_How are you_ **?”

 

“I’m good, yeah. Did you find anything on Kelly or Dagon?” Sam was happy as always to hear from Eileen, but he was hoping that she might have some information for them.

 

“ **_Yes_ ** , **_I did_ **.” Eileen was looking proud of herself, which Sam found both adorable, and promising.

 

“So, uh, after we talked, you went back to Coeur d’Alene, Idaho?”

 

“ **_Right_ ** _._ **_The last place anybody saw Kelly Kline go_ ** _._ **_I figured I’d take a look_ **.”

 

“Hmmm. And?”

 

“ **_And turns out_ ** _,_ **_right after she left_ ** _,_ **_somebody burned down an old warehouse_ ** _._ **_I did some digging_ ** _._ ” Eileen picked up her phone and typed something on it. “ **_Check your phone_ **.”

 

“Okay.” Sam’s phone buzzed and he took it out of his pocket. Eileen had sent him a series of grainy photos. “What are those? Security shots? Oh, yeah. There’s Kelly goin’ in. Huh.” Sam was impressed at how much Eileen had managed to discover. Dean was craning his neck to see what Sam was looking at, and Sam could see that he was impressed too.

 

“Wow.” Dean was trying to speak to her, so Sam turned the screen for him. “Nice work, Eileen.”

 

Eileen smiled with pride, and Sam felt warm inside. She spoke to Dean again. “ **_Thank you_ **.”

 

“So this chick with her, that, uh, Pat Benatar wannabe?” Dean directed this question to Sam.

 

“It must be Dagon, I guess. Yeah.

 

“Awesome. Okay, so.” Dean was trying to speak to Eileen again, but Sam had turned the screen away. When Dean flicked Sam on the shoulder, he turned it back so that Dean could see Eileen properly once more. “So… Kelly and Dagon go crash this place, and then it gets torched. Coincidence?”

 

Sam huffed. “No.” He was certain that the fire was deliberate.

 

“ **_Hell_ ** _,_ **_no_ **.” Eileen joined in.

 

“Alright, well, what are we lookin’ at here?” Dean was clearly keen to get this moving.

 

“ **_Working on it_ **.” The determination in Eileen’s voice convinced Sam that she would find out.

 

“Well, go get ‘em, Eileen.” Dean encouraged Eileen, which made Sam very happy.

 

“ **_That’s the plan_ **.” Eileen beamed back at him, Dean gave her a thumbs up sign, then Sam moved the monitor back towards himself so that he could see her better.  

 

Eileen spoke one last time to Sam. “ **_Bye_ ** _,_ **_Sam_ **.”

 

“Bye.” Sam couldn’t help the smile that spread across his face, even though he knew Dean was watching him.

 

The call was ended and Dean smirked. “That’s cute.”

 

“Come on.” Sam tried to be irritated at the suggestive tone in Dean’s voice, but he found that he couldn’t quite manage it.

 

The rest of the drive back to the bunker was uneventful, and Sam found that he felt almost contented. Eileen had done good, and Dean had been happy that she had found out at least some information. He felt sure that Eileen would be in touch again soon.

 

Sam’s mood changed almost the moment they stepped inside the bunker though, when they found that Mick Davies had let himself in, and was sitting at the table drinking their whiskey. After talking to him and discovering that he - and all of the Brits - were able to gain access to any Men of Letters property, he told them that a cosmic shock wave had been recorded by the Home Office.

 

Sam knew instantly what Mick was referring to. “nephil.” He tried not to feel smug at the shocked look on the other man’s face.

 

“You knew?” There was an angry tone to Mick’s voice.

 

Dean spoke up then. “Yeah, we knew.”

 

“How?” Mick was clearly pissed at finding out the Winchesters knew before the British Men of Letters did.

 

“Sort of a long story.” Sam realized then that even though Mick and Arthur Ketch had helped rescue him and Dean after their escape from the government facility, the British Men of Letters had no idea why they were being held.

 

Mick frowned. “Well, I’ve got time.”

 

Sam and Dean then proceeded to tell Mick a shortened version of the story, leaving out the connection between Lucifer’s possession of the president and their capture, and also that Kelly had been in Cas’s care when she got away. As Dean said, it was a need-to-know kind of thing.

 

They argued about whether they should have shot Kelly; Mick telling them that ‘you should have shot her between the eyes immediately‘, and said something about ‘the code’, then Dean and Mick spent the rest of the night drinking heavily. When Mick left the next morning, Sam and Dean knew no more about Kelly and Dagon, and Sam was left with a  feeling of discomfort about them having shared information with the Brits.

 

Two days later they had a much more welcome visitor; when Sam answered a knock at the bunker door he was delighted to see Eileen standing there.

 

“Eileen, hey. What a great surprise. It’s really good to see you.” Sam pulled her into a welcoming hug.

 

“Hi Sam.” Eileen pulled back, so that she could see his face. “I have some news for you… and Dean.”

 

“Oh yeah? Um, come on in.” Sam stepped aside to allow Eileen to move past him, smiling at her happily.

 

They descended the stairs to where Dean was standing, glowering at his phone. “Hey Eileen.” He hugged her briefly then walked away, putting his phone to his ear.

 

“What’s wrong?” Eileen gestured to Dean as he paced restlessly around the room.

 

“He’s trying to get through to Cas. We haven’t heard from him for a couple of weeks, and Dean is… well, he’s worried.” Sam signed the rest so that Dean wouldn’t be aware of what he was saying. “ **_He pretends that he wants to talk to Cas about Kelly_ ** _,_ **_but he really misses him_ ** _._ **_I wish he would just admit it_ **.” He rolled his eyes - this non-situation with Dean and Cas was getting to him.

 

Eileen chuckled and patted Sam’s arm sympathetically before sitting down at the table. There were a couple of open beer bottles on it, which Sam and Dean had already started. Eileen raised her eyebrows, and Sam shrugged, sitting down as well.

 

“It’s been a long day. We were kicking back with a few cold ones.” Sam took another bottle from the case on the floor, opened it and handed it to Eileen. She received it gratefully, and took a drink from it. “You said you have news for us, yeah? So you ran the plates of every car that drove past that warehouse in Idaho just before it burned down?” Sam had been informed that this is what Eileen had been planning to do when she messaged him yesterday.

 

Dean had finished his latest failed attempt to contact Cas, and was now hovering inside the room, listening to their conversation.

 

“Yeah. Most of them were local, but one wasn’t. It came up registered to Dermott Culp.” Eileen made a face that suggested she thought the name might sound familiar.

 

“So…” Sam shook his head; he hadn’t heard the name before, and had no idea what Eileen was leading up to.

 

“So he went missing a year ago.”

 

“Okay.” Sam was still at a loss as to what Eileen was trying to say.

 

“I tracked his car to Iowa. Found him coming out of a building carrying a dead body.”

 

“So Dermott’s a killer?” Dean spoke directly to Eileen.

 

“Dermott’s a demon.” Eileen answered him with a slight smile.

 

Dean made a hand gesture to show that he understood, and Eileen turned her attention back to Sam, who spoke again.

 

“Uh, one of Crowley’s?”

 

Eileen shook her head. “Works for Dagon. Covers her tracks.”

 

“Smart.” Sam couldn’t help but feel a little impressed at Dagon’s thoroughness.

 

“Dude, don’t compliment the bad guys.” Dean was clearly in no mood for lightheartedness, but Sam and Eileen couldn’t help laughing.

 

“Uh… so do you know where Kelly is now?” Sam didn’t really expect Eileen to say yes, but he could hope.

 

“No, but before Dermott got stabbed in the heart…” Eileen paused for effect, and Sam’s heart swelled with pride. Again.

 

Sam and Dean both smiled appreciatively, as Dean said “nice.”

 

Eileen smiled back at them both. “Mm-hmm. He gave me her phone number.”

 

If Dean hadn’t been standing right there Sam would probably have taken Eileen’s face in his hands and kissed her right about now. What she had done was truly outstanding. She pulled the piece of paper with the phone number on from her pocket, and handed it to Sam, who was so awestruck that he was unable to tear his eyes away from hers. He managed to choke out “yeah, nice,” before he and Eileen clinked their bottles together. All he could do at that moment was sit back and admire this amazing hunter… woman.

 

By the end of the night they had come up with a plan. Sam would call Kelly, pretending to be from her doctor’s office, requesting that she come back in for a follow-up appointment. Around the corner from the office Dean would intercept her, and they would bring her back to the bunker. They begrudgingly accepted that they should share the plan with Mick; Dagon would not let Kelly go without a fight, so any extra help could make all the difference.

 

They were all pleasantly inebriated by now, and Sam found himself once again standing in front of Eileen’s temporary bedroom door. It was the same room as last time, just down the hall, and Eileen was smiling at him.

 

“Goodnight Eileen.” Sam bent down, and kissed her gently on the mouth.

 

“Night Sam.” Eileen kissed him back, slightly harder.

 

They kept trying to pull away from each other, but each time one - or both - of them would move back in and plant another kiss.

 

This game would most certainly have gone on all night if Dean hadn’t chosen that moment to go to bed as well. He had to walk past them to get to his room, and he coughed loudly, then laughed as Sam jumped back.

 

 _Dammit_. Sam would have to have words with his brother.

 

He went to his room after one last ‘goodnight’, heart and head full of happiness.

 

They set off for Des Moines, Iowa, very early next morning, arriving shortly after midday. They still didn’t know where Kelly was, but they knew where her doctor’s office was. Dean stayed there, and Sam and Eileen drove to a junkyard in a small town a few miles away, Sam pulled out his phone and dialled Kelly’s number.

 

Kelly accepted the call, and Sam spoke in a fake accent - possibly Scottish, he thought. “Ms Kline.”

 

“Yes?” Kelly sounded tired.

 

“This is Oliver in Doctor Turner’s office. He’d like to see you in the office today.” Sam hoped that he was convincing enough to lure Kelly out.

 

“I, uh, I was just in there. He said everything was fine.” Kelly was clearly unsure.

 

“Alright. Well, he looked back through your test results and there are some things he’d like to discuss. Does five pm work for you?” _Come on Kelly, take the bait_.

 

“I-I-I don’t think I can get away.”

 

“Well, he said it’s very important. Five pm?”

 

“Um… sure.”

 

Sam did a tiny fist bump in triumph. “Good, see you then.”

 

He walked towards a clearly delighted Eileen, who knocked her fists together and grinned happily. “Cool.”

 

Sam was mesmerized as he stood beaming in front of her, and suddenly felt like an awkward teenage boy. She really was something. Just then a car came towards them; as it drew nearer Sam could see Mick and a guy he didn’t recognize.

 

They got out of the car and walked over to them. Mick had his hands behind his back, and Sam was pretty sure he knew what he was holding.

 

Sam had expected only Mick, and was not pleased to see someone else. “I thought you’d be coming alone.”

 

“Well, I thought we’d gotten past our trust issues. Look, if Dagon shows, we’re gonna need all the help we can get.” Mick gestured towards the other man. “This is Renny Rawlings. New man.”

 

“Right, I’m Sam. This is Eileen Leahy.” Sam decided to play nice for the time being, although he instantly regretted this decision when Renny spoke.

 

“Ah, the banshee girl.”

 

 _What the hell_? Sam now wanted to punch the guy’s lights out for being so disrespectful to Eileen, and also, how did he know about her?

 

Unfortunately, Renny carried on talking. “We have a file. From what Mick tells me, neither of you have any formal training. Fascinating. I was top of my class at Kendricks.” Renny preened during this boast, and Sam really wanted to wipe that smug look off his face. Eileen did it for him, with her retort.

 

“No one cares.”

 

Sam smirked, and _god_ he really wanted to take her in his arms and...

 

Mick paused before holding his hands out in front of him. “I, uh, brought the Colt just like you asked.” He held out the gun, which was on a cloth. “But it’s gotta go back to HQ.”

 

Turning the Colt over in his hands, Sam answered Mick. “Gee, Mick. I thought we’d gotten past the trust issues.” _Yeah_.

 

Sam held back from laughing out loud, and Mick frowned. “Hmmm.”

 

They had a couple of hours to wait for Dean to arrive with Kelly - assuming everything went well, that is - and Sam spent most of this time sitting inside Eileen’s car chatting with her. Mick and Renny were doing… whatever the hell the Brits did when they weren’t killing monsters with their numerous, evil-looking gadgets.

 

Sam talked about them not being able to get hold of Cas, and how Dean was becoming more and more frustrated with his absence. They had hoped that Cas would pick up his voicemails and come to the junkyard, but so far he was a no-show.

 

“You saw how much Cas’s absence is affecting Dean. It’s not like this is the first time he has gone AWOL, unfortunately. But it’s becoming more and more worrying, you know?”

 

“I know how worried Castiel was when you and Dean disappeared. And… I was as well.” Eileen smiled sadly, and gave Sam’s hand a gentle squeeze. “Do you think he is in some kind of danger?”

 

“When isn’t Cas in danger?” Sam shook his head sadly and rolled his eyes. “And, on top of all this crap with Kelly… and not knowing where Cas is, I don’t know what the fuck’s going on with mom.”

 

“Your mother? You think there’s something going on with her?”

 

“The more time she spends with the Brits, the more uneasy I feel. We haven’t even had so much as a phone call from her in weeks… not since the vampire attack on the compound.” Sam frowned at the memory of the last time they had seen Mary. At how deep her involvement with them had become.

 

“Oh Sam. That’s so tough, for all of you.”

 

“It is. Dean won’t even talk about her… but I know he’s hurting. And the Brits keep in touch, but she doesn’t? That’s not right. We gave her the space she wanted, but…” Sam tailed off, not really knowing what else to say.

 

“It must have been hard for her… to come back to two grown sons… to a world she doesn’t know anymore. The British Men of Letters though… I think you are right to be concerned about them and what they’re up to.”

 

“Yeah. Well at least we can keep an eye on these two, for the moment.” Sam watched Mick and Renny through the car window. He would always be slightly wary of them, but working with the Brits in this case seemed to be unavoidable.

 

Turning towards Eileen, Sam looked at her in the darkening twilight. It just made her look even more beautiful. “So… where to after this? Do you think-?

 

Eileen cut him off, with a twinkle in her eye. “I might hang out with you guys for a few days. Dean still owes me a meal.”

 

“Well, you wouldn’t want to let Dean down, would you? He’ll be very disappointed if you go before he gets the chance to…” Sam knew this wasn’t really the time or the place for flirting, but when he was with Eileen he found he couldn’t help himself.

 

“No. I wouldn’t want to let Dean down.” Eileen laughed mischievously  before they fell into a companionable silence.

 

Finally, just after darkness had fallen, the Impala pulled up into the junkyard. Sam and Eileen got out of their car and they, Mick, and Renny walked over to where Dean had stopped. The older Winchester got out and looked around. “This everyone?”

 

“Yeah. Still no word from Cas.” Sam could see the disappointment on his brother’s face at hearing this.

 

“Right. Great.” As he so often did, Dean hid his hurt behind sarcasm, and slammed his door. Pointing at Renny as he walked around to the passenger door he asked, “Who’s this?”

 

“He’s with Mick.” Sam didn’t feel the need to tell Dean Renny’s name, or anything about him. This didn’t stop the guy, though.

 

“I’m Renny Rawlings. Graduated Kendricks top of my-”

 

Dean cut him off. “Right. I don’t care.”

 

Sam thought, not for the first time, just how similar Dean and Eileen were. Right down to the snarky comebacks. Dean opened the door for Kelly and tried to help her out. “Come on.”

 

Kelly was clearly unhappy, and pushed him away. “Don’t”

 

Dean stepped back, holding his hands up in surrender. “Okay.”

 

Kelly climbed out of the car, and looked at them all, choosing to focus on Sam as he spoke to her.

 

“Kelly… Listen, we-” Sam paused while he considered his words. “-we all know you’re in a really… difficult situation, and we-we just… We wanna help.” It wasn’t the most eloquent thing he had ever said, but he hoped Kelly understood that he was sympathetic to her plight.

 

“You call this helping?” Kelly had a point, Sam conceded to himself.

 

Dean tried to explain, but was no clearer than Sam had been. “Look, Kelly. That kid, it’s… I mean, it can’t… I mean, it’s Lucifer’s.”

 

“Yeah, I know.” Kelly answered Dean, then turned back to Sam. “You think I wanted this to happen? He used me. But I love this child.” Kelly caressed her swollen belly, and Sam’s heart broke for her.

 

“You will mean absolutely nothing to that child. That child will kill us all.” Mick’s lack of tact and sympathy angered Sam, and Dean, from the way he reacted.

 

“Hey.” Dean shouted at Mick, making it clear that the Brit should back off.

 

Sam joined in, also speaking directly to Mick. “That’s… that’s not happening, okay? We’re-we’re gonna figure something out. We will. We-”

 

He was cut short by Renny, who reached for his gun as he spoke. “This is absurd.”

 

“Don’t.” Dean’s authoritative tone stopped Renny in his tracks. For a few moments there was an uncomfortable silence, which was broken by a sudden strong swirling wind.

 

Kelly closed her eyes, and spoke ominously. “She’s here.”

 

Sam, Dean, Mick and Renny drew their weapons as they tried to spot what was causing the tempest. The wind became stronger, and there was a huge flash of lightning, before a figure appeared behind them all.

 

“Hey.” Dagon called out, then thrust her arms up, creating a wave that caused everyone except her and Kelly to fly through the air, then crash heavily, either into cars or onto the ground. They gradually got back to their feet, and Dean and Mick fired their guns, hitting Dagon directly. The bullets had no effect on the demon, and she was able to repeat her earlier action; flinging them through the air before landing with a crash once again. As Dagon walked over to Kelly, Eileen spotted the Colt on the ground, and crawled towards it. Dagon grabbed hold of Kelly and made to leave, while Renny jumped up to get his gun. Eileen fired at Dagon, who disappeared with Kelly just as the bullet was about to hit her, and it followed through on its path, hitting Renny instead.

 

Eileen was frozen in shock, and there were horrified faces all around at the realisation that Renny was fatally wounded; his body falling to the ground.

 

Mick crouched over Renny’s lifeless body as Eileen approached him, apologetically.

 

“I didn’t… I didn’t mean to. I was shooting at the demon. I’m-” Eileen was distraught, and she tailed off, close to tears.

 

Sam placed his hand on Eileen’s shoulder reassuringly. “No, no, wait up. It was an accident. It’s alright.” Sam hoped that this would soothe her, and show her that she wasn’t to blame.

 

Mick got to his feet and raised his gun, pointing it at Eileen. Before Sam could even move, Dean practically jumped in front of her, blocking Mick’s view of his target. “Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. What are you doing.” He pleaded with the Brit, hoping he would back down.

 

Sam joined in the pleas to Mick. “Hey!”

 

Mick looked torn, but he kept his gun pointed in Eileen’s direction. “She killed a Man of Letters. S-she has to die.”

 

“It was an accident.” Sam tried again.

 

“It doesn’t matter. The Code.” Mick seemed determined, and Sam really hoped that Dean would not have to shoot him. But if they had to choose between Mick and Eileen… well, it was no contest.

 

“No, hey, screw the Code.” Dean was clearly becoming angrier..

 

“Don’t make this harder than it already is.” Mick carried on, refusing to back down.

 

“Mick, you don’t have to do this.” Dean lifted his own gun, and pointed it at Mick.

 

“Yes, I do!” Mick raised his voice.

 

“Please, don’t.” Eileen’s voice was uncharacteristically small and frightened, and Mick was clearly in turmoil. He closed his eyes, then opened them, breathing heavily.

 

“Mick, Mick, listen to me. Mick, look.” Sam held his hands up in a placating gesture. “I-I know you guys h-have this Men of Letters Code you blindly answer to, but… look,” he moved over to Dean and pushed his gun down “you don’t have to do that, Mick. You’re better than that. You only have to answer to yourself. You only have to do what you know is right. You only have to answer to your own code.” Sam could see that he was getting through to Mick, so he carried on until the Brit lowered his gun in defeat.

 

“Just go.” Mick looked resigned to the fact that he had lost this one, and to say Sam was relieved would be an understatement.

 

“Yeah.” Sam tapped Dean on the arm and they moved slowly to the Impala; getting inside and driving away quickly before Mick could change his mind.


	5. Chapter 5

The drive back to the bunker was long (five and a half hours), and Eileen sat silent and tense in the back of the car. She tried to sleep, but everytime she closed her eyes all she could see was Renny falling to the ground; blood oozing from his mouth. He was an arrogant dick, sure, but he didn’t deserve to die. For once she was glad she couldn’t hear what Sam and Dean were saying, although from what she could see, they didn’t speak much. When they did talk, she was unable to tell if they were discussing her, or Kelly. Maybe it was best not to know.

 

When they finally arrived, it was close to midnight. Eileen dragged herself out of the back seat and trudged wearily down the bunker stairs, with Sam and Dean following closely behind. 

 

Dean came around to stand in front of her, his face full of concern. “You okay?”

 

Eileen nodded, trying to convince herself and the two men that she was fine, but she couldn’t keep lying, and she shook her head as tears welled in her eyes. “No. He wasn’t a monster. He was… I-” She looked down; the tears threatening to spill over.

 

“Hey.” Sam touched Eileen gently on the shoulder and she turned towards him. He signed as he spoke to her. “It was a mistake.”

 

Eileen knew he was right, but it didn’t make it any easier to accept. She had never killed someone that wasn’t a monster before, and it felt bad. Needing to be held, she launched herself at Sam, her head hitting his chest. Feeling his strong arms gathering her, pulling her into a hug, was even better than she had imagined, and she wrapped her own arms around his back, to get even closer. Sam rested his chin on her head as he stroked her hair gently and soothingly.

 

They stood like this for a long time, just holding each other, until Eileen was overtaken by weariness. She pulled back and looked Sam in the eyes. “I need to lie down. Try to sleep.”

 

“Sure. I-I’m sorry Eileen. Sorry that you have to go through this.” Sam put his arm across Eileen’s shoulders and walked her to her room.

 

When they stopped outside the door she shook her head. “I… can I sleep with you? Please? I don’t want to be alone.”

 

Sam didn’t say a word; he took Eileen by the hand and led her a little further down the hallway to his room. Once inside, he hesitated, waiting to see what Eileen would do. She removed her jacket, shoes and jeans, then climbed on to the bed and lay down. Sam did the same, and laid down next to her. For a few moments they stayed unmoving, staring at the ceiling, then Eileen rolled onto her side, facing Sam.

 

“I-I… don’t know what to do, Sam.” 

 

Sam turned to face Eileen. “You don’t have to do anything. Stay here with us. You can stay here as long as you like.”  _ How about forever _ .

 

Eileen smiled for the first time since the incident in the junkyard, and lifted her hand to stroke Sam’s cheek. “I would like that, but… I don’t know. I just don’t know.” She moved herself closer to Sam, hoping that he would envelop her in his arms again. He did just that, and the warmth of his body made her feel safe and secure, until she felt herself start to drift off to sleep. 

 

Eileen startled awake again a few hours later, after a horrible dream. Sam had turned the light off, making the room completely dark. She was still in his arms, so as soon as she jumped he woke up too.

 

Sam turned on the light immediately, and made sure Eileen could see his face before he spoke. “Hey, hey. It’s okay. Just a bad dream.” Sam soothed her hair.

 

Eileen knew she would have to leave, sooner rather than later, and she needed… wanted to have a good memory to take with her. “Kiss me.”

Eileen was delighted to discover that Sam didn’t need to be asked twice; he shifted so that their faces were next to each other, then he ever so gently brushed his lips over hers.

 

It felt so good, but Eileen wanted more. She pushed forward and deepened the kiss, feeling the vibration in his chest caused by the moan he let out. Eileen chuckled and draped her leg over Sam’s thigh, then pulled them closer together with her heel. There was a delicious friction building between them, but she didn’t want to go any further… not tonight, so she pulled her body away slightly, while they carried on kissing. Eileen could tell that Sam understood her reluctance to do any more than kissing and cuddling. He moved his hands softly over her back and side, but made no attempt to do any more.

 

Eileen fell asleep in this position, and this time when she woke it was a gradual experience. Taking out her phone she saw it was almost 8 am, and she now knew what she had to do. She shook Sam’s shoulder until he opened his eyes. Yawning, he smiled, but the smile was short-lived when Eileen said what was on her mind.

 

“I have to go, Sam. I’m going to go back to Ireland… get away until I feel like I can start hunting again.”

 

Sam looked like he was going to protest, but he noted the determination on Eileen’s face, and pulled her into his arms instead. When she eventually started to pull away he released her and got up off the bed. Eileen waited until he had left the room to make coffee, then she went to have a quick shower. By the time she got to the kitchen, with her duffel already packed and a plane ticket booked, there was a mug of coffee waiting for her, and Sam was looking through the fridge for something to eat.

 

Eileen tapped him on the arm and he turned to face her. “Thank you, Sam. And thank Dean for me. You have been… wonderful. I will call you when I get to Ireland.” She reached up and kissed his cheek, trying not to feel too upset at how sad he looked.

 

“Take care, Eileen. I’ll miss you.” Sam lifted his hand and brushed a strand of hair from her face, then stepped back. 

 

Eileen left without any more fuss. The drive to Kansas City airport would take her around four hours, then she would have a few hours wait until her flight to Chicago. There would be more waiting around there until a flight to Dublin. The journey and waiting for planes was going to take her a whole day, so she figured if she found a cheap motel not far from the airport she could get some more rest.

 

The motel and flights were uneventful, apart from a slight delay with the plane to Dublin, and Eileen arrived in the country of her birth with a clear plan of where she would go, on a surprisingly warm spring day… warm for Ireland, anyway. She collected her hire car, and plotted the route which would take her to her destination.

 

Eileen’s roots were in County Cork, in the South of the country, but, fearing that the British Men of Letters might try to find her and exact revenge for Renny’s death, she decided to go West instead, to County Galway.

 

As Ireland was much smaller than America, driving the entire width of the country only took Eileen four and a half hours, and she arrived in Clifden just before six in the evening. It had been many years since she was last in Ireland, but it felt the same as it always had. The endless green, the old country ways and buildings intertwined with the modern, it felt peaceful, and this was just what she felt she needed. 

 

Eileen had booked a room in a bed and breakfast, run by the King family. Mrs King was warm and friendly, but wanted to talk endlessly, so by the time Eileen got to her room she was exhausted. She was about to just flop onto the bed and give in to sleep when she remembered her promise to Sam. She pulled out her laptop, logged into the wi-fi, and clicked on the call button. 

 

Sam’s smiling face appeared on the screen. “Hi.”

 

“Hello Sam. I made it to Ireland. I just wanted to check in… let you know I’m okay.”

 

“Great. That’s… great. I’m glad you’re good.” Sam’s smile didn’t quite reach his eyes, and Eileen knew that he was holding back on saying what he really wanted to. She was too, but now was not the time for that. 

 

Eileen yawned, involuntarily. “I need to sleep now. I’ll speak to you again soon.”

 

“Yeah, okay. Thanks for calling, Eileen.” Sam smiled again, before Eileen ended the call, then fell back onto the bed and slept in her clothes until morning.

 

The next few days were almost carefree. Clifden was a popular tourist destination, so no-one took any notice of a stranger in the town. There were a few shops selling over-priced souvenirs for visitors who didn’t know any better, or extortionately priced art, for people who probably did.

 

The countryside around the town was stunning, and Eileen took a lot of walks, or drove out further, to some of the many beaches that dotted the coastline a little further West. This was her routine for four weeks, until the day Eileen returned to her room and instantly felt something was wrong. Everything was still in its place, but it looked like it had all been moved and replaced a little too precisely. She knew it wasn’t Mrs King, or the housekeeping staff, because they had cleaned the room earlier in the day. A knot formed in her stomach; this pointed to the British Men of Letters. They must have found her, and were watching and monitoring her movements… Her blood ran cold at the thought.

 

A sweep of the room confirmed that Eileen was correct. She found a bug in her phone, and a microphone in the lampshade.  _ Damn _ . When she reached for her laptop to turn it on, she noticed that the connection for the wireless mouse was not in its usual usb slot. This was ominous. 

 

Eileen wasn’t used to running and hiding - she would much rather fight - but she knew that the safest course of action was to  return to America...  to the Winchesters.  _ Sam _ . Trying not to panic, she wrote them a letter: This felt a lot safer than contacting them using any of her technology.

  
  
  


_ Dear Sam and Dean _

 

_ Hey guys. I’m sorry I haven’t been in touch since I got to Ireland. It was just what I needed to clear my head and come to terms with what I did, but now I am ready to return to America. Well, to tell you the truth, I’m scared, and I don’t want to stay here any longer. _

 

_ Despite trying so hard to lay low, the British Men of Letters have caught up with me, I am certain of it. I can feel them following me, watching me. They tapped my phone, I found a microphone in my room, and I’m pretty sure they’ve hacked into my computer as well. I don’t want to use technology to contact you, which is why I’m writing the old-fashioned way. _

 

_ They obviously haven’t forgiven me for shooting Renny, and my guess is that they’re probably out for some kind of revenge. _

 

_ I hate to be all girly, but could I bunk with you guys for a few days until I sort this out? _

 

_ I will see you guys in a couple of days. _

 

_ Eileen _

  
  
  


Eileen knew that Sam would be more than happy for her to stay with him and Dean - she didn’t even really need to ask - but she didn’t want to just turn up on their doorstep without giving them some kind of advanced warning. Now she just had to hope that the postal service would be efficient, and that the letter would get there before her.

 

Dropping the post in the mailbox on the way out of town, Eileen drove back to Dublin airport and boarded the first available plane back to America. She had decided not to take the same route via Kansas; instead opting to fly into New York, where she was relying on the crowds to swallow her up. 

 

The flight took seven and a half hours, and Eileen spent a lot of it wondering if any of her fellow passengers were working for the British Men of Letters. She hated being paranoid, but finding that evidence in her room had really shaken her up. The rest of her thoughts were taken up with Sam.  _ Sam Winchester _ . Once she was with him, she would be safe.

 

When the flight landed Eileen waited to get off, with everyone else, then she wearily made her way to passport control. The man looked bored as hell, until he scanned her passport; a beeping sound made him sit straighter in his chair. Two other men appeared from a side room and approached her.

 

“Ms O’Connor.” 

 

Yeah, Sam and Dean weren’t the only ones who used aliases from the world of rock. 

 

“You need to come with us.” The man spoke to her clearly and precisely, making it obvious that he knew she was deaf. They knew who she was…  _ dammit _ !

 

The men led Eileen to the room they had come from, where she found there was another man waiting inside. He was attractive, there was no denying this fact, but there was a coldness to him; a deadness behind the eyes. He extended his hand, and attempted a smile, which just made him look even more disturbing. “Arthur Ketch, Ms Leahy.” He nodded to the other men, who went through another door and left the two of them alone.

 

Eileen had not accepted his offer of a handshake; choosing instead to keep her arms folded and to look him squarely in the eyes.

 

“Well… you did your best to stay out of sight, I will concede that point. But we - the British Men of Letters - need to speak to you. So, you will be coming with me, back to our American headquarters.” Ketch obviously knew this game, and stared back, unwaveringly.

 

“No. I don’t think I will.” Eileen knew that this was probably a futile gesture, but it was worth a try, right?

 

“I am trying to be polite, but this is not up for negotiation.” With these words, Ketch took a firm hold of Eileen’s arm and steered her through the door the two men had exited by. This led to a corridor, then through another door, and outside where a sleek black car with tinted windows was waiting.

 

Eileen found herself being firmly pushed into the back seat, with a different, scary looking guy watching her every move. The car set off, and Eileen stared determinedly out of the window and ignored the asshat who was watching over her.

 

The drive took more than a day, so Ketch and another man in the front would take it in turns to drive, then sleep while the other one took over. Eileen slept occasionally, waking up with a start each time when she realized where she was. She idly wondered why they did not stop for the night, but came to the conclusion that they knew she would try to escape, and considered this the easier option. Each time they stopped to switch drivers they would all get out and stretch their legs for a few minutes, but they made sure that it was always in the middle of nowhere so that Eileen would have no chance of getting away. 

 

Finally they pulled up outside an electric gate, which opened when Ketch spoke to the person operating it, then they drove around to the side of an old warehouse. When they went inside Eileen was surprised to see how hi-tech it all was. From the outside it looked abandoned, but it was actually a bustling hive of activity.

 

Eileen was led to a large, brightly lit room, which reminded her of an operating theatre. The only thing missing was the surgical instruments. There were two hospital style cots, and little else. An angry-looking woman came in and glared at her, then pointed to one of the cots.

 

“You can sleep here.” 

 

Eileen didn’t answer, just sat down on it, and waited to see what they planned on doing to her. An hour or so later, another woman was brought into the room, and she sat down on the other bed. Eileen recognized her from the photographs she had seen at the bunker. “Mary...  Mary Winchester.” 

 

There was no response - not even a flicker, so Eileen tried again.

 

“I know your sons. Sam and Dean. They’re worried about you.”

 

This time Mary turned to look at Eileen, then got off the bed and walked over to her. “I have no sons.” She slapped Eileen hard across the face, and Eileen flinched in pain.

 

This was not the woman she had heard Sam talk about; sure, it was Mary Winchester, but there was quite obviously something very wrong with her. She seemed… dead behind the eyes - very like Ketch, in fact - and the way she loomed over Eileen was intimidating. Just as Mary lifted her hand to hit her again the door opened and Ketch came inside the room.

 

“I see the two of you are getting acquainted. Excellent.” 

 

Mary turned and stared at him, blankly, and Eileen took the opportunity to get off the bed and move away from her assailant. “What have you done to her? She said she has no sons.” Eileen directed her words at Ketch, while keeping an eye on Mary.

 

“Oh, don’t worry about her. She’s our good little soldier.” Ketch took Mary by the hand, led her to the bed and got her to lay down. There was no resistance, and no recognition from Mary, just compliance.

 

Ketch turned his attention back to Eileen; striding purposefully across the room to stand in front of her. “Now, we have plans for you.” He took hold of her arm and brought her out of the room, down the passageway and into a small office. 

 

“We are going to let you go.” The smile Ketch gave Eileen made her shudder inside.

 

“What… why?” This made no sense, and Eileen was instantly suspicious.

 

“We have no need of you. You have served your purpose.” Ketch walked to the door, and opened it for her, ushering her towards the waiting car outside after giving back her duffel. “Good luck.”

 

Eileen had no idea what game Ketch was playing, but she wasn’t about to refuse this unexpected gesture; she had been sure that they were going to try brainwashing her as they had clearly done to Mary Winchester. She climbed into the back seat of the car and closed the door, and it drove off immediately. They travelled for about two hours, and Eileen did not have any idea of where they were or where they were going. But the mere fact that she was being taken away from the British Men of Letters’ base was a plus in her book.

 

Eileen was hoping that she would be dropped off somewhere recognisable, or at least at a bus station, so she was disappointed when the car stopped suddenly in the middle of nowhere and the driver told her to get out. This whole situation was becoming more and more unsettling, but she got out anyway and started to walk as the car sped away. It was dark now, and she knew the stars well enough to recognize that the road was heading North. Hopefully this would soon take her into a town.

 

After a few minutes of walking Eileen noticed that there were trees on either side of the road, which were getting thicker the further she got. She began to get an eerie feeling, as if she was not alone, and she pulled her gun from her bag, just in case. She took a few steps further, then someone tapped her on the shoulder, making her jump. She swivelled around, and came face to face with Ketch.  _ What the hell _ ? The fucker must have been following them.

 

There was pure malice in his eyes, and Eileen suddenly felt terrified and angry. He must have just been messing with her when he said they were letting her go.

 

“Run.” He said, then lifted his hand to his mouth. There was something in it… a whistle, which he blew into. “I would run if I were you.”

 

Eileen realized what this was now… Ketch was controlling a hellhound, and it was after her. She dropped her bag and started to run through the trees, heart pounding and branches scratching at her face. She knew she had little chance of escaping this situation, but she had to at least try. She turned back and fired her gun, hoping that she might slow it down, at least, but… the hellhound was on her. Tearing at her flesh, causing unbearable pain. Then….

  
  


* * *

Dean picked the lock of the motel room, then he and Sam went inside. Dean switched the light on, and waved the Do Not Disturb sign that had been on the door, before throwing it down onto the table. This was the last place they knew their mom had been staying in, so they were hoping she was still here.

 

Dean called out. “Mom? Mom.” He looked around the room and the bathroom, then spoke again, with frustration in his voice. “Well, looks like she hasn’t been here for a while.”

 

Sam had been searching as well, and reluctantly agreed. “Yeah, all her stuff is gone. Did she stay she was moving on or-” He tailed off, not sure what to say.

 

“No. I told you what she said. She said, Dean, call me. We have a problem. And then that was it. She didn’t sound happy.” Dean paced irritatedly while he was talking.

 

“Okay, well, when she’s not here, she’s been bunking with the Brits. So maybe-”

 

Dean cut him off, angrily. “Well, dude, I’ve called Mick, like, six times. He’s been radio silent since they sent him to London.” Dean looked down at his phone and punched in some numbers, then put the phone to his ear.

 

The person on the other end said something, then Dean spoke. “Ketch, calling to see if my mom’s with you. It’s Dean. Winchester. Because I’d like to speak to her, that’s why. No, I’m not being terse. Look, if you haven’t seen her, do you know where she is? No, I’m not being curt either. Look, I don’t have time for manners 101 from you, okay. If she’s with you, I wanna know about it. Fine.” He ended the call and grumbled “such a dick.”

 

“And?” Sam was pretty sure he wasn’t going to like what Dean had to say.

 

“He says he hasn’t seen mom in over a week.”

 

“But mom called two days ago, said she was working a case with him.” The bad feeling Sam had shared with Eileen, about his mom and the Brits, had got worse as the days went by. There was clearly something very wrong - there was no denying this now.

 

Dean nodded in agreement. “Which means he’s lying.”

 

“But why would he-” Before Sam could finish that thought his phone rang. He took it out of his pocket and looked at the caller ID. “Jody.” 

 

He answered the phone, always pleased to hear from their friend. “Jody, hey.”

 

“Hey Sam.” Jody’s was subdued and Sam immediately knew that something was wrong. “Did-did you hear the news?”

 

“No, what?” Sam had a sinking feeling in his gut.

 

“It’s about your friend Eileen - she... died.”

 

Sam’s heart broke when he heard those words, and he closed his eyes to stop himself from breaking down. “No. Uh no, we hadn’t heard.”

 

Dean looked at him with concern. “Mom?”

 

Sam shook his head and carried on listening to Jody, trying to take in what she was saying. His head was reeling. “Um, when? What the hell happened?”

 

“She was mauled by a wild animal. Her body was found in a wooded area in South Carolina, but there aren’t any wild animals that attack like that around there.”

 

“Oh, no.”

 

“I’m really sorry, Sam.”

 

“No, I-I, yeah, thanks for letting me know. Bye.”

 

“Bye.” Jody’s voice was full of regret as she ended the call.

 

Sam stared down at his phone in disbelief as the devastating news started to sink in. 

 

“Who?” Dean watched Sam closely, and waited.

 

“Eileen.”

 

Dean’s face fell and he closed his eyes. Sam was pretty sure that Dean knew how much Eileen had meant to him, even though he had never said it out loud. The awful thing was that Eileen was just another in a much too long line of women Sam had been interested in taking things further with, who had then died. Jess had been the first, and that had been devastating. There was Sarah, Madison, and Ruby… amazingly, Amelia hadn’t died. But things didn’t work out with her, and for the first time since then, Sam had started to get his hopes up for a lasting relationship. He felt a numbness creeping over him and avoided meeting his brother’s eyes for fear of breaking down.

 

“How?” Dean’s voice was almost a whisper.

 

“She was, uh, mauled by a wild animal in a wooded area that doesn’t have animals that do that, i-in South Carolina.” Sam’s voice cracked a little.

 

“But I thought she was in Ireland.” Dean looked as confused about this unexpected piece of information as Sam felt.

 

Unable to contain his upset any longer, Sam turned away from his brother, and ran his hand down his face. This was so unfair, and why was she back in America anyway, without even telling him? What the hell happened in Ireland?

 

“Sam... “ Dean stared at Sam as he turned back around; his eyes welling up with tears.

 

“Dean, that’s the second hunter death we’ve heard about in two weeks.”

 

“I know, but two doesn’t mean a pattern.”

 

“Three would.” Sam’s mind was in overdrive now, and a terrible thought had struck him.

 

“Meaning?” Either Dean didn’t realize what Sam was implying, or he was refusing to even think it.

 

“Mom’s a hunter, and no-one knows where she is.”

 

“No, Sammy. Mom’s fine, I… I know she’ll be fine.” Dean didn’t sound convincing to either of them, but Sam felt it best to not disagree with him.

 

With a heavy heart Sam left the motel with Dean, just as they had found it, and they took off for South Carolina. Sam called Jody back to get the address of the morgue, and she also told them of five more cases they had been unaware of, of hunters being killed. They changed into their FBI clothes on the way, neither of them speaking; each lost in their own thoughts. They had to treat this as they would any other case, but they both knew it wasn’t. This was Eileen, and it hurt.

 

The morgue assistant let them into the room, and left them to it. Sam kept telling himself that he had to be professional… that this was not personal, but when he saw Eileen’s body on the slab, the tears started to fall. He could see Dean watching him - he had been doing that a lot, ever since they found out about Eileen - but there was something he needed to say.

 

“People who do what we do, you know there are gonna be deaths, but… this-” Sam’s voice was laced with pain as he spoke, and he tailed off, not able to say anymore. This was all so fucking tragic, and it made absolutely no sense.

 

Dean was silent for a few seconds, as he looked at the file in his hands. “These wounds - I mean, we’ve only seen something this bad a few times.”

 

Sam knew what that meant. “Hellhound?”

 

“Yeah. But it doesn’t make any sense. Why would a - why would a demon sic a hellhound on her? Why did she leave Ireland?” Dean was clearly as confused about this turn of events as Sam.

 

Sam blinked back the tears, and tried to speak more evenly. “I don’t know, Dean.”

 

“Alright, well… counting Eileen, that makes seven hunters in three weeks.”

 

“Yeah, and those are the ones we know about.” Sam’s gut told him that there were probably more - they just hadn’t heard about them yet.

 

“Seven monster-related deaths. I mean, what… did all the things out there suddenly start working together?”

 

“Dean, monsters and demons don’t team up. Seven hunters are gone. We can’t grab a signal from mom’s phone. Cas has Kelly Kline who knows where. Mick has slipped off the grid. Ketch is lying to us.” Sam’s grief, and the frustration at not knowing what the hell was going on with any of this, or mom, or Cas was turning into anger. “I-I… I wanna punch something in the face.”

 

Dean looked almost impressed at Sam’s display of emotion. “Good. Hold on to that, ‘cause it looks like we got a hellhound to deal with. Which means…” Dean didn’t finish his sentence - he didn’t need to. They were both thinking Crowley.

 

Once they were back at the bunker Sam pulled up Crowley’s number on his phone. He called it, and waited for Crowley to answer.

 

“Moose. To what do I owe this pleasure?” 

 

“Crowley. Why did you set a hellhound on Eileen Leahy?”

 

“What are you talking about, Moose? I haven’t set a hellhound on anyone lately. You’re not making any sense.”

 

“Crowley. Eileen… she was a hunter… our friend. Why did you do it?”

 

“I’m telling you, I don’t know anything about it. The name Eileen Leahy means nothing to me.”

 

Sam flinched at Crowley’s words. That name had meant everything to him. “Crowley, only a demon can control a hellhound, which means that one of your people was involved.

 

“If that were the case, I would know about it. There are no missing hellhounds. I was cuddling with them last night.”

 

“Right. And you know nothing else of the other hunters who are dying?”

 

“Not only don’t I know, I don’t care.” Crowley ended the call abruptly, and Sam was left feeling frustrated and somewhat irritated.

 

“Crowley says he knows nothing about it.” Sam walked back over to Dean.

 

“Yeah, I got that. Now what?”

 

They knew no more about the circumstances of Eileen’s death than they had previously, but Sam believed Crowley when he said he wasn’t involved.

 

“Well, we might as well go pick up the mail. Get some supplies while we’re out too.” Dean got up from his seat and made his way to the garage, with Sam following.

 

They drove to the post office, then while Dean was inside Sam made a couple of calls to see if he could get any more information about the other hunters who had died. It seemed that they were all seasoned hunters - well trained and well able to protect themselves. He was finishing a call just as Dean came back outside.

 

“So, I’ve been calling around about all of the hunters that died. Um, everyone of them had years of experience.” Sam noticed that Dean didn’t seem to be listening, he was engrossed in reading what was in his hands.

 

“We got a letter, from Eileen.” Dean carried on staring at it, while he spoke.

 

“Eileen?” Sam couldn’t understand why Eileen would have sent them a letter. She had always contacted them by phone, or from her laptop.  

 

“She sent it four days ago. It went snail mail ‘cause she thought that her phone and her computer were both hacked. She left Ireland because she was scared.”

 

“Scared of what?”

 

“Well, after she accidentally killed that-that Brit douche Renny, she thought that the British Men of Letters were on her.” Dean held the letter out, and Sam snatched it from his hand.

 

Sam read from the letter, feeling like his world had come crashing down all over again. “I know they’re following me, watching me. They tapped my phone. I found a microphone in my room. I hate to be all girly, but could I bunk with you guys for a few days until I sort this out.” Sam felt tears building in his eyes again. Eileen had been on her way back to them, and she never made it. He could have helped her, and he didn’t get the chance.  _ Goddammit _ .

 

“You think the Brits were watching her?”

 

Sam knew how perceptive Eileen had been, which meant she was almost certainly right. “If Eileen says they were-”

 

“Then maybe they’re the ones that killed her.” 

 

Sam nodded in agreement. Those damn Brits would pay for what they had done to Eileen… Sam would make sure of that.

 

It was logical to assume that if the Brits were watching Eileen, they were doing the same to them, so on the drive back, Sam and Dean made a plan to scour every inch of the bunker, until they found any kind of surveillance equipment, or were certain that there weren’t any. 

 

It took a while, but Dean eventually found a microphone taped up underneath the table in the library.  _ Son of a bitch _ . Crouching down next to the table Sam and Dean had a conversation about a fake meeting, with another hunter, tomorrow night at nine pm; hoping to lure the Brits into a trap. Sam was more angry than he had been in a very long time, and he desperately wanted to be able to make them pay for what they had done to Eileen.

 

During the next day or so Sam re-read Eileen’s letter over and over again. He knew he was torturing himself with this, but he couldn’t help it. With tears pouring down his cheeks and his heart clutching painfully in his chest, he placed a soft kiss onto the paper and whispered to the empty room. “I’m so sorry Eileen. We-we failed you.” Sam knew this wasn’t really true, that there wasn’t anything they could have done, but it helped fuel his anger. They would make those Brits pay, damn it.

 

The following night Sam and Dean were set up with their trap, at the old iron works. The British Men of Letters turned up, as hoped, and after a scuffle with a few of its members they captured Toni Bevell, and drove off with her in the Impala. The conversation with her did not go as planned, however; she didn’t know anything about Eileen’s death, although she conceded that if they suspected the Brits of it, it was probably them who had killed her. She also made crude suggestions about their mom and Ketch, which, had Dean not been driving, would have meant the end for the poisonous bitch. According to Lady Bevell, Mary was now one of them, and a cold-blooded killer too, who would think nothing of killing them both. Which was absurd - no matter how deep her involvement with them went, she wouldn’t kill her own sons!

 

Once she started talking, it seemed that Toni couldn’t stop; telling Sam and Dean that Mick was dead, and that the Brits had killed him because he had become too sentimental. Knowing that they had lost the only ally they had at the British Men of Letters didn’t go down too well with Sam, but what Toni told them next made his blood run cold. Apparently, all American hunters were on the British Men of Letters’ hitlist, and to emphasize her point, she mentioned Jody and Claire by name. 

 

By the time they arrived at the bunker Sam and Dean had told Toni that she was to call Ketch to make a deal. If they wanted to see her alive again, he was to come to the bunker right away. As they walked down the steps, however, they quickly realized that they were too late, and it was they who were caught in a trap. The British Men of Letters were waiting for them, with Ketch in command. 

 

Sam and Dean were not about to give up without a fight, and after a brief shootout, Sam had captured Toni again, and Dean was holding Ketch at gunpoint. Right where they wanted him. Dean held a gun to the British fucker’s head and asked the question both brothers needed the answer to. “Our mom… where is she?”

 

When Mary appeared, with a gun in her hand, Sam knew they were saved. Everything was going to be okay, except… after a brief exchange of words she tried to shoot Dean, and Ketch was able to take Dean’s guns from him and point one each at the Winchester brothers.  _ What the fuck _ ? 

 

“Hey, Ketch, stop!” Sam shouted, and tightened his arm around Toni’s throat to stop her from escaping.

 

A smug smile spread across Ketch’s face; he was clearly getting immense pleasure from the pain and confusion Mary’s actions were causing. “I really wouldn’t move. She will shoot you.” 

 

Mary calmly walked over to Sam and pulled the gun from his hand. Realizing that they were now outnumbered, he relinquished his hold on Toni and turned to her with a questioning expression.

 

“Mummy always was a talented hunter. Just somewhat confused about obeying orders.” Toni spoke as if their mom was some kind of pet.

 

Sam watched his mother train her guns on him and Dean while Toni spoke. Those bastards had to have done something to make her behave like this. “What did you do to her?”

 

“Lady Bevell cleared up that confusion. And I suspect she told you that the American hunters are a dying breed. Hmm?” Ketch backed up towards the stairs, and Sam could feel Dean’s rage from across the room.

 

As Toni started to follow Mary and Ketch up the stairs, Ketch pointed his weapon at her. “Oh, for heaven’s sake. Where do you think you’re going?” 

 

“Ketch?” Toni was obviously not expecting this twist; to be left for the Winchesters to deal with. 

 

“Remember at Kendricks? How they taught us that we were all expendable? That wasn’t idle chat.”

 

While having no sympathy at all for Toni, Sam was astonished at just how callous Ketch was. He really did seem to have no loyalty, even towards his fellow psychopaths.

 

As Mary and Ketch reached the top of the stairs, Dean called out - voice laced with pain. “Mom? Look at me. It’s us. Please. What’s wrong with you? Mom!” 

 

Mary looked down at him, with no emotion, or even recognition, and Sam had never wanted to hit someone as much as he wanted to hit Ketch in that moment. They had to stop him from taking their mom out of there, and reverse this… brainwashing. Then there was the matter of Ketch’s involvement in Eileen’s death - Sam was absolutely certain of this, and it was just another reason to want the man dead.

 

The Brit was speaking again - it seemed that he really liked the sound of his own voice. “Your bunker is an excellent fortress. An even better tomb. So we’ve rejiggered the locks, we’ve shut off the water, and once we leave, the pumps that bring in the air shall reverse. Your oxygen should be gone in two days… maybe three. You dying in here… it’s almost poetic, hmmm? Come along, Mary.”

 

Their mom and Ketch turned to leave, and Toni shouted after them, in a desperate attempt to change the man’s mind. “Ketch!” 

 

Dean raced up the stairs in a futile attempt to stop them, but it was already too late. The door was slammed shut, and as he shouted “No” everything electrical powered down and a red warning light flashed ominously.

 

Sam had stayed rooted to the spot, trying to process everything that had just gone down. Ketch had told them they were going to die in the bunker once their oxygen ran out, and their mom was now some kind of robot that the British Men of Letters could control. She and Ketch were probably on their way to Jody’s to kill her right now - then Claire, when they found her too - and their friends wouldn’t know that any of this was coming. Sam had to face facts that there was a strong possibility there was nothing he or Dean could do to stop this, and they might actually die here. 

 

Oh, and to make things even worse they were stuck in here with Lady Bevell. It crossed Sam’s mind that he might have taken some pleasure in killing her - especially after the torture she had inflicted on him all those months ago - but he was more focused on them finding some way of getting out of there alive.

 

Dean made a very good point about them killing Toni, to give them more air, and therefore more time, but she cleverly pointed out that as she was the person who had programmed their mom, she was the only one who could reverse it. Sam knew that Dean would not be able to ignore this spark of hope any more than he could.

 

After Toni’s little speech, Dean asked Sam, “You believe her?” 

 

“I don’t know. Look… if she’s lying, sure, we take her out. But mom is still out there, brainwashed. If she’s telling the truth then we do need her.” Sam was as wary as Dean about trusting this woman, but he accepted the need for a truce. Maybe they could work together to find a solution to their predicament.

 

For the next twenty four hours or so the three of them spent every waking moment researching every possible spell that might allow them to escape. When the spell they tried failed, it took them a while to bring themselves to get back to the research; Toni seeming particularly downcast by this failure. 

 

By the second day, becoming more desperate to find another solution, Dean suggested ‘brawn’ as an alternative. With a couple of pick axes the brothers swung repeatedly at the wall Dean had pointed out, trying to break through to the outside. After a few minutes Sam began to realize just how thick the concrete was, and he slumped down to the floor in exhaustion, with Dean doing the same a moment later.

 

“We earned a break.” Dean panted, trying to catch his breath.

 

“Yeah.” Sam could feel how thin the air had gotten, which was making their physical efforts that much harder.

 

“We’ll get there.” Dean’s optimism was admirable, but Sam could tell that this was not going to work.

 

“No. No, we won’t.” Sam shook his head as he spoke, despair beginning to eat at him. When he turned around to look at the wall he could see how little progress they had made. “We’re not gonna hit dirt for three days. Two if we’re lucky.” Beside him, he could feel Dean struggling to breathe. “I know you feel it… the air, it’s thin.” Sam tried to take a deep breath. “And it’s getting thinner… how did this happen?” He didn’t just mean the fact that they were likely going to die sealed in the bunker, but the state their mom was in, the betrayal from the British Men of Letters, and Eileen too. God, he missed her, and he could only hope that if they reached heaven he would find her again.

 

“What part?” 

 

“All of it.”

 

“Yeah.” Dean sounded defeated, and that broke Sam’s heart. “You know, it wasn’t long ago I thought we had it made… We saved the world. We got Cas back, we had mom back. I mean, it wasn’t perfect, but still, we had ‘em… And now-”

 

“Now they’re all gone.”  _ Eileen too _ . “And mom, what they did to her…” Sam huffed at the realisation of how badly the Brits had deceived him. “I just fell for their company line. Man, I… I saw what they were doing and I… I thought, hunters on that scale, working together. How much good we can do. And once I was in, I… I just followed. ‘Cause it was easy. Easier…”

 

“Easier than what?”

 

“Easier than leading.” Sam hadn’t really thought about how willingly he had fallen in line with the Brits until now, and he didn’t know whether he should be madder at them for their lies, or himself for falling for it. Dean nodded silently in understanding.

 

“Is this how you pictured it? The end?” Sam was grateful for one thing - they were going to go out together, Dean and him.

 

“No, you know it’s not. I always thought we’d go out like… Butch and Sundance style.” Despite their predicament, a small smile spread across Dean’s face. He always did love cowboys. 

 

Sam chuckled at this. “Yeah. Blaze of glory.”

 

“Blaze of glory.” Dean smirked and closed his eyes for a moment. “Son of a bitch.”

 

“What?”

 

“The grenade launcher, Sammy. The grenade launcher. I ain’t giving up without a fight, and that thing… well, I’ve always wanted to fire it. Just once”

 

Sam couldn’t decide if Dean’s plan to break through the concrete with a grenade was genius or crazy, but they were fresh out of options. Of course, Toni thought they were lunatics for even considering the idea, and said so, but Dean was determined. If it didn’t work they were all going to die, so it was worth a try, right?

 

Sam took Toni to the adjoining room, where they covered their ears and waited for the explosion. When it came it was louder than he had expected, and seeing the destruction the grenade launcher had wreaked, his stomach dropped. Dean could not have survived a blast this big, in such an enclosed space, could he? Running from room to room, Sam called for his brother; a feeling of dread creeping through him. With no sign of Dean, and the air running out he fell to the floor in the war room, choking and gasping… so, this was really it. Game over.

 

Then...  as all hope was lost, the electricity came back on, and Sam took a lungful of air. Fresh air… coming through the vent. The front door opened and Dean limped in - he had injured his knee, and it looked nasty, but they were alive. Dean’s insane plan had worked!  _ Well, what do you know _ ?

 

Once they were outside and had Toni secured with handcuffs in the back of the Impala, Sam and Dean contacted every hunter they could think of, to warn them of the danger from the Brits. When they couldn’t reach Jody, they took off for South Dakota, hoping that they were not too late to save their friend.

 

There was an overwhelming sense of relief when they walked into the house and found that everyone was still alive. As they had feared, Mary had attacked Jody, but with Alex’s help she had overpowered their mom and tied her to a chair. However, when Sam told Toni to do what she had promised and reverse Mary’s brainwashing Toni confessed that she had lied so that they wouldn’t kill her. The brainwashing was permanent.

 

“You were going to kill me. The Mary that you know, the good Mary… she’s hiding behind impenetrable psychic walls. And I’m afraid these walls-” Toni huffed a little laugh, which made Sam want to throttle her, “-well, they can’t be torn down with grenades. Your mother can’t be saved.” 

 

Dean had clearly had enough of Toni, and started to move her outside where he could ‘take care of her’, but she stopped him in his tracks by pointing out that when Ketch found out they were still alive he would kill them if they didn’t run. Neither Sam nor Dean were prepared to run - Sam was going to damn well fight with everything he had.

 

Jody called every hunter she knew, and told them to come to her house urgently. After they had all arrived Sam started to speak; he needed to make sure they understood just how big the threat was they were facing.

 

“Um, so my… my brother and I, we-we, um-” At this moment Sam recognized that it was he who needed to lead. Remembering the talk he had had with Dean in the bunker, about finding it easier to follow, he decided that the time had come for him to show what he could do. It wasn’t just about Eileen - it was their mom too - but before they destroyed anyone else’s hopes and dreams, he would do everything in his power to stop them. He stepped forward some more and spoke again, with more authority. 

 

“No, you know what? I called you here because people… um, our people, are being slaughtered. And we’re next. The British Men of Letters, they came here because they thought they could do our job better than we could. And they hooked us with their flashy gear and their tech. Most of you had the good sense to turn ‘em down. I didn’t” Sam was filled with regret and shame, once again, at how those bastards had fooled him. “They said they wanted the same thing we wanted, you know? A world free of monsters. That’s not what they really wanted. They want control. They want to live in a world where they can sit in some office and decide who gets to live and who gets to die. And they’ve killed people. They’ve killed innocent people just because they got in the way.” Sam knew he needed to be strong, but all he could think of at that moment was seeing Eileen’s body in the morgue. How she didn’t deserve what happened to her.

 

“They think the ends justify the means, but we know better. We know hunting isn’t just about killing. It’s about doing what’s right, even when it’s hard. So we go by our gut, right? We play by our own rules, and that scares them. That’s why they want us dead, ‘cause we’re the one thing they can’t control.” As his speech had gone on, Sam felt stronger than he had since Eileen’s death. Knowing that Dean was supporting him, and would always be by his side helped, but this leadership role was easier than he had imagined.

 

Roy, one of the hunters spoke up. “So what do you want from us?”

 

Sam gave Roy an impassioned stare. “I want you to follow me. Take the fight to them.  To hit them before they hit us. We go in fast and hard and we fight and we beat them down until they give up or until they’re dead. Look… they’re well-trained and well-armed. Some of us might not make it back. But we will win.”  _ We have to _ . “We will take down the bad guys because that’s what we do. They’re scared of us. Yeah, good. They should be.” 

 

Sam felt like he was fuelled by adrenaline when he finished speaking, and he could tell that he had got the backing of everyone in the room. They would do whatever it took to defeat those fucking Brits.

 

As everyone got ready to leave, Dean told Sam that he wouldn’t be coming with them. His injury was too bad, and besides, he needed to stay with mom. See if there was anything that could be done for her. He let Sam know that he had faith in him as a fighter and a leader, and Sam had never felt prouder… braver. Knowing that his brother felt this way was huge, and he felt like he could take on a whole army of British douchebags. In fact, it was very possible that this might be what was about to happen.

 

Driving away with Jody and the other hunters, and leaving Dean behind, was one of the most difficult things Sam had ever done. They had shared an emotional goodbye, which included the most poignant ‘bitch’ ‘jerk’ they had ever exchanged. Sure, they had hunted and fought without each other many times before, but this was different. This was them taking out the real bad guys, without Dean Winchester. 

 

The journey to the base was tense, and with every minute they got closer to it, Sam wondered if he was ready for this responsibility. The other hunters were looking to him for guidance, which was both terrifying and exhilarating.

 

They didn’t stand on ceremony when they arrived - crashing straight through the gates, instead of even attempting to gain access in a more conventional way. The fight with the British Men of Letters seemed to go on for hours, although in reality it was probably more like ten minutes. Sam was fuelled with a desire for revenge; he hadn’t even been able to go to Eileen’s funeral because of these bastards. It was kind of ironic to think that it was Eileen’s quest for revenge that brought her to them in the first place, and it was that same desire that would allow Sam to do this last thing for her. 

 

The group of hunters took out one bad guy after another, until there was only one left. A nasty looking woman called Hess, who pleaded for her life by offering information that she guessed they didn’t already have. This information made Sam cringe internally; Lucifer was back, and was looking for his son. Any mention of Lucifer gave Sam flashbacks to his time in Hell. They were less frequent these days, and not as physically and emotionally draining as they had used to be, but it was always there, lurking in the back of his mind.

 

Shaking off this train of thought, Sam turned his attention back to the task at hand. Declining to do any kind of deal with this shady group of operators, he shot at the computer monitor, effectively cutting off all contact Hess had with the outside world. In a fit of anger, she tried to shoot Sam, but Jody shot first, killing her immediately with a bullet to the head. This wrapped things up neatly - well, as neatly as a shootout could be - and Sam headed back to the bunker after an emotional series of hugs with Jody. 

 

“Bye, Sam.” Jody mumbled into Sam’s shoulder, as he held on tightly. “You’re going to have to let me go, you know.”

 

Sam laughed softly, and released the woman he and Dean had come to think of as a mother figure. Even though their real mom was back, Jody would always feel like that to them, and they would forever be grateful for her role in their lives.

 

She pulled him back in for another, shorter hug. “I was really sorry about Eileen, you know. I never met her, but I know how much she meant to you.” 

 

Sam’s eyes prickled with tears, and he squeezed Jody in thanks. “Thanks, Jody. I appreciate that.” 

 

On the way back to the bunker Sam began to worry more and more about Lucifer, and what this would mean for him and Dean. They still didn’t know where Cas and Kelly were, and Dean was absolutely refusing to even talk about Cas. The showdown they had had with him, where he had killed Dagon, had hurt Dean more than he would ever admit. Sam would have to tell Dean, though, and hopefully they would be able to get to Cas and Kelly before Lucifer did.

 

He didn’t have time to impart this information when he arrived, however. After a bone crushing threeway hug with Dean and their mom, he was regaled with tales of how Dean had helped Toni break through their mom’s brainwashing, and how they had fought with Ketch. Sam was especially delighted to discover that Ketch was dead. Toni was dead too, but Sam would not be losing any sleep over that.

 

Knowing that the British Men of Letters were no more was a great relief - now they only had the small matter of Lucifer and his son to deal with.

 

Next morning, when the three Winchesters were seated at the table for breakfast, Sam told them what he knew. Dean’s reaction to the news was fairly predictable. “Okay, let me just get this straight. So… we beat the Brits, we kicked their psycho, tea-swilling asses, and instead of popping champagne and headin’ to Vegas, we get Lucifer. Awesome.”

 

_ That’s pretty much the way it is, yes _ .

 

The discussion turned to who they might get to help them. Crowley? Apparently, according to the Brits, he was dead too. Rowena… it was worth a try. Unfortunately, when they called the witch, the phone was answered by Lucifer instead, with news that she was dead, and he had killed her himself.

 

In the words of Crowley - ‘bollocks’.

 

They agreed that they needed to find Cas and Kelly… fast. Before Lucifer did. Of course, Cas had done a very good job of hiding their location, so they would have to keep a lookout for anything unusual, which would herald the birth of a nephil. More unusual than they normally dealt with - it would be on a biblical scale. Plagues of locusts, that sort of thing…

 

Following a false alarm involving a two-headed calf, which definitely wasn’t weird enough, they were surprised by the sudden appearance of Crowley. Sam had been with Dean, in not believing the king of hell to be dead unless they actually saw the body, so it wasn’t as much of a surprise as it might have been. 

 

Dean was filled with rage about the news that Lucifer was freed again, and he hit Crowley before holding a knife to his throat, asking why he did it. He was correct in his assumption that Crowley had been responsible, and Sam had to stop his brother from killing the demon there and then.

 

Crowley had always been good at negotiation though, and he managed to persuade the Winchesters to let him help them catch Lucifer and trap him in the cage once more. For this he promised to seal the gates of hell, so that they would never encounter another demon on earth again. Sam wasn’t entirely convinced about trusting Crowley, and he suspected Dean wasn’t either but, as was so often the way, they were fresh out of options.

 

Some more research later, and Sam found a massive power outage in the Pacific Northwest. 

 

“Sounds like the right kind of weird.” Mary leaned over to look at what Sam was reading.

 

“Oh, yeah. Wait. They tracked the outage to an address in North Cove, Washington, to a house currently being rented by one James Novak.” Sam noted with interest the way Dean perked up at the name. It was more than obvious how much his brother wanted to see Cas, no matter how angry he believed himself to be with the angel.

 

“That’s Cas. Let’s roll. Dean was not very subtle at all, Sam realized. But at least Cas was still alive, and Dean had a chance with the angel, who was very clearly in love with him too. Sam really hoped that this would be the day that they finally admitted it. Although, if he was honest, Sam hoped for that every time Dean and Cas were anywhere near each other. 

 

Before Crowley could leave with them, Dean stabbed the demon in the hand, pinning him to the table. “Think we’re gonna trust you out there after what you pulled? Hmm? No. You stay here, you sit down, and you shut up.” 

 

Crowley was livid, but did as Dean said. He might be the king of hell, but he was no match for a Winchester.

 

North Cove was over a day’s drive away, and not for the first time, Sam was frustrated at Dean’s no-flying policy. He kept quiet on this subject though, and they drove through the night, with Dean, Sam and Mary taking shifts, and stopping only for bathroom breaks and food. 

 

When they finally pulled up outside of the house, Dean practically flung himself out of the car, with Sam and Mary having to jog to keep up. The door wasn’t locked -  _ what the hell, Cas _ ? - and the three of them let themselves in. They came face to face with Cas, who was standing at the bottom of the stairs, confusion written all over his face. 

 

There followed a tense conversation, which included some intense staring between Dean and Cas, of course. Cas couldn’t understand how they had found him and Kelly, or what they were doing there. But when they managed to get through to him that Lucifer was free and looking for his son, and could show up at any moment, his attitude changed. He was suddenly defensive, and stopped only to heal Dean’s knee injury. Mary had gone upstairs to do what she could to help Kelly with the birth, while Sam, Dean and Cas stayed downstairs.

 

Sam noticed something a little shifty about Cas’s behaviour; he was definitely trying to stop Sam from going outside to check the warding around the house. He saw what Cas was trying to stop him and Dean from seeing as soon as he went outside. There was a golden glowing… crack in the world. What the hell was that? It was like nothing Sam had ever seen. “Cas? What is that?”

 

“It’s a tear in space and time.” Cas looked as if he thought that explanation would be enough.

 

Dean had come up behind them. “Uh, and that means?”

 

“It’s a doorway to another world.” Cas walked towards it, with Sam and Dean following behind, warily.

 

After some more words were exchanged, Cas managed to explain to Sam and Dean that this rift had been created by the nephil, and was a doorway to another dimension. Reluctantly, Cas brought them through the rift, into a world which was death and destruction all around. It was locked in an eternal battle between angels and demons, and it seemed to Sam that the biggest losers in this war was humanity.

 

The place was an apocalyptic nightmare, and what Sam and Dean learned was that in this universe, they had never been born, because their dad had been killed by Azazel. And they learned this information from Bobby -  _ yeah, Bobby _ . Except it wasn’t their friend and father-figure, it was an alternate version of him, with no knowledge of the brothers at all. Just another reminder of all the people they had lost, who hadn’t deserved to die, Sam thought sadly.

 

Coming back into the ‘normal’ world - well, normal for the Winchesters, anyway - they agreed that the rift needed to be closed. Dean seemed particularly agitated by this latest turn of events, and Sam wasn’t sure if it was what they had just witnessed, or if it was from finally seeing Cas again. He was pissed at the angel, as usual, and Sam couldn’t help but feel some annoyance. At least they were both still alive, for fuck’s sake!

 

Dean did at least concede that he had faith in them being able to fight Lucifer - the two of them, mom, Cas and Crowley, who of course had managed to escape from the bunker and assure them that he was ready to join this fight against Lucifer. To do what was necessary.

 

As expected, Lucifer arrived at the house just as the nephil was about to be born, and a standoff and some misdirection later helped them lead the archangel through the rift. Despite Dean’s best efforts to dispatch Lucifer using a machine gun and the angel killing bullets, which they had gotten from Bobby, he was unsuccessful. That had just been a distraction, however, and it gave Sam and Crowley the time they needed to activate the spell they had been working on, which would close the rift and seal Lucifer inside this world permanently.

 

Everything became confused very quickly, and Sam realized that their plan wasn’t quite as simple as they had hoped. He dragged Dean back towards the rift as Crowley and Lucifer had a little pissing contest. Crowley did the decent thing for once, and sacrificed himself to complete the spell. Just as Sam and Dean were about to go back through the rift, Cas appeared from the other side and charged towards Lucifer with his angel blade. Dean tried to run over to help his angel, but Sam stopped him and quickly pulled them back through. 

 

Agonizing seconds passed while Sam and Dean waited to see who would come back from that fight, and they were ecstatic to see that it was Cas. He stepped through the rift and Sam thought that they might actually have a win for once, only for their whole world to be shattered moments later. As Dean and Cas stared at each other, in the way only they could do, and a sense of relief fell over them, a blade appeared through Cas’s chest and light poured out from the angel’s eyes and mouth. The agonizing scream of ‘no’ which came from Dean was utterly heartbreaking.

 

As Cas’s body fell to the ground they saw Lucifer standing behind him; bloodied angel blade in hand. The murderous look in Dean’s eyes as he stared Lucifer down was truly scary, and Sam was reminded that his brother was not one to be messed with. In the end, though, neither Sam nor Dean were responsible for ridding their world of Lucifer, it was their mom. She came running out of the house, and attacked the archangel with a pair of Enochian brass knuckles. Hitting him again and again, until they fell backwards through the rift just as it closed.

 

Sam and Dean stood in a stunned silence, trying to process it all. In a few short minutes they had lost Crowley and Cas, and their mom had fallen into an apocalyptic wasteland. Sam was completely numb at losing the best friend they had ever had, and he could only imagine what Dean was going through. With tears pricking at his eyes, Sam wished he could undo all of it, but spotting a glowing light coming from the upstairs of the house, he knew that this meant the nephil had been born. Feeling there was no time to dwell, Sam ran into the house to find this… creature? Hope? 

 

What Sam found was unexpected - instead of a baby it was a teenage boy, crouching in the corner, naked and frightened. His eyes glowed an orange color, and Sam wasn’t sure what to do. Should he go over to the boy, and offer comfort, or wait for him to move? The decision was taken out of his hands, though, when Dean came charging into the room with dangerous intent. He clearly blamed the nephil for Cas’s death, and probably for their mom’s current predicament too. After all, if Lucifer hadn’t followed them and killed Cas, she wouldn’t have attacked him.

 

Sam was barely able to stop Dean from murdering the boy - whose name they discovered was Jack, from the mural Kelly had painted on the wall - by dragging him from the room. “Dean, you can’t kill him. He’s just a boy.”

 

“Sam, it’s his fault Cas is… I can’t.” There were tears running down Dean’s face now, and Sam grabbed hold of him and held him tight. Dean let out an anguished sob, and Sam wished more than anything that he could take his brother’s pain away. When he had lost Eileen, he was heartbroken, but that was nothing compared to this.

 

Jack came out of the room - thankfully wearing some clothes he had found - and looked at them curiously. “What is wrong? Where is my father, Castiel? He said he would be here.”

 

“Jack, um… Cas is, he’s dead.” Sam could feel the way Dean’s whole body tensed at these words.

 

“No. No. Where is he?” A tear ran down Jack’s face, and it seemed that he understood now why Sam and Dean were so upset.

 

“Outside. We’ll take you to him.” Sam let go of Dean and led them down the stairs, making sure to keep between his brother and Jack.

 

Sam couldn’t help but weep a little too, at the sight of their friend’s body lying in the dirt. Cas’s face looked so serene, so peaceful, but this was not sleep. His wings were burned onto the ground, and there was a deathly pallor to his face. There was no coming back from this, was there?

 

Jack turned to Dean and placed his hand on his chest. “You loved him. Castiel. He loved you too.”

 

Before Dean could react, Jack went over to Cas’s body and placed his hand on his chest, as he had done to Dean. An orange glow spread from his hand, and over Cas, and the ground beneath began to tremble. 

 

Sam was astonished - relieved - to see Cas’s eyes open suddenly, and he turned to his brother to see his reaction. 

 

“Cas? Cas… you’re… alive.” Dean fell to his knees again next to Cas, and Sam took hold of Jack’s arm to lead him back into the house.

 

“Jack, I think we need to leave those two alone for a while. You did a good thing there.” Sam took a quick glance over his shoulder, to see Dean had pulled Cas into his arms, and was kissing him gently.  _ Fucking finally _ .

 

When they were inside Jack touched Sam on the chest as he had done with Dean and Cas. “You have lost someone too, Sam. I can feel it.”

 

“Yeah, we’ve lost a lot of people. Too many.” Sam’s mind ran through a list of those who hadn’t deserved to die; Jessica, Bobby, Charlie, Kevin, Dad, Ellen, Jo, Ash, Rufus, Sarah, Gabriel maybe? Eileen… her death was still so fresh and the mere thought of her name still caused a sharp pang.

 

“No, you lost someone. Her name was Eileen.” Jack had closed his eyes, and seemed to be reading Sam, somehow.

 

“Yeah, Eileen. She was… special.”

 

“Can you show me her grave? Where is it?” 

 

“It-it’s in South Carolina. It’s a long way from here, Jack. I’ve never been there… missed her funeral”

 

“But you know where it is?” 

 

Sam nodded yes. Despite not being able to go there, he had checked out the cemetery on the internet. He and Dean had wanted to give Eileen a proper hunter’s funeral, but there had been no time, so finding where she was buried seemed like the very least he could do.

 

“Think of it. Picture it in your mind.” Jack took hold of Sam’s hand and as he did what Jack asked there was a blinding light, and they found themselves in the cemetery, next to Eileen’s grave.

 

It had only been a few days, so the earth was still fresh. Jack put his hand on the ground, and Sam felt the same trembling as they had experienced around Cas’s body. 

 

“Jack, what are you doing?” Sam didn’t want to hope too much.

 

Jack said nothing, but he began to dig the earth with a shovel that he found nearby, until they could see the coffin. He jumped down into the grave, and pulled off the lid, while Sam watched, mesmerized. Seeing Eileen’s body lying there, his breath caught in his throat and he shed a silent tear. Jack repeated his action with a hand on her chest, and the orange glow started up again. 

 

When Eileen’s eyes opened, Sam was filled with gratitude and wonder. If Jack could do this, what else could he do?

 

Eileen blinked a few times, and sat up. “Sam? Where am I? Where are we? What… happened? Who is this?” She looked up at Jack in confusion, but Jack silently reached his hand down to her and helped her to her feet.

 

Sam pulled Eileen up the rest of the way, until they were standing next to each other, then he wrapped her in a hug; he didn’t ever want to let her go again. Eventually drawing back so that she could see his face, Sam tried to explain. “You died - the British Men of Letters killed you. This is… Jack. The nephil. He, well… he brought you back.”  _ For me _ . Sam wanted to add, but he kept that thought to himself.

 

“I re-remember what they did to me. Ketch-” Eileen’s voice dropped to a whisper, and her breath caught in her throat as she stared at the ground for a moment. Sam could see the turmoil that memory gave her. When she had gathered her composure somewhat, she turned to Jack, face full of confusion. “But why? Why did you bring me back?” 

 

“Sam missed you. He needed you.” Jack’s answer was blunt, and Sam didn’t know whether to hug him, or be embarrassed.

 

Eileen turned her attention back to Sam, and smiled at him. The smile took his breath away. “You needed me? I… that’s nice.” She put her mouth next to his ear and whispered. “I need you too.” And then they were kissing. They held each other and he stroked her hair, and  _ oh god _ , it felt wonderful. Before they could get too carried away though, Sam pulled back. He was well aware that Jack was standing right there, and he didn’t want this to get inappropriate.

 

“Jack, thank you.” Sam clasped Jack on the shoulder and beamed at him. “Thank you so much. Think you can zap us back?”

 

Jack nodded and took one of their hands in each of his. A blinding light later, and they were back in North Cove, outside the house. They went inside, where Cas had Dean pushed up against the wall, and his hand inside Dean’s shirt. They jumped apart, blushing, but before either of them could speak Sam strode over to Cas and hugged him. “Cas. I’m so glad you’re okay man. We-we thought…” He decided not to finish that sentence, instead he moved aside so that Cas could see the woman standing behind him. “This… this is Eileen. Eileen Leahy.”

 

“But… you were dead.” Now it was Cas’s turn to look confused, and Dean too, Sam noticed.

 

“Jack. Jack brought you both back.” Sam realized that Cas and Jack hadn’t properly met yet, and he grabbed the young man and pushed him gently forward.

 

“Hello Castiel, I am Jack. Thank you for looking after my mother.” Jack’s mannerisms were so like Cas’s that Sam had to stop himself from laughing.

 

After a lot more hugging all around, Jack asked everyone if they would come upstairs with him to see his mother. They walked into the room with Kelly’s body on the bed, and Jack placed his hand on her chest. This time there was no orange glow, and Jack’s face fell. 

 

“She-she doesn’t want to come back. She sacrificed herself so that I could live, and she is happy now.” Jack moved his hand to stroke Kelly’s hair, then turned to Cas, who pulled him in for a hug.

 

“Kelly was a good person, and she would be proud of you, Jack.” 

 

Jack turned to Sam and Dean. “Even though I can’t bring my mom back, I will try to find a way to bring back yours. I promise.”

 

Sam and Dean brought Kelly’s body down the stairs and outside, to prepare her for a hunter’s funeral. It was sad, and a few tears were shed, by Jack and Cas, but it struck Sam that it would have been so much worse if they had had to do this for Cas as well. He didn’t even want to think about that. When it was over, Jack zapped them all, and the Impala, back to the bunker. A long drive was not what anyone wanted right now. Despite Sam and Dean’s happiness at being reunited with Eileen and Cas, they were still worried about their mom. They had no clue if she was alive or not, and if she was, god knows what Lucifer might be doing to her. But tomorrow they would get working on that, with Jack’s help… tonight was for catching up, and maybe more.

 

Just before Eileen dragged Sam to his room, he saw Cas doing the same with Dean. They hadn’t left each other’s side for a single moment since Dean nearly lost his angel, and it looked to Sam that they would be joined at the hip from now on. Thank Chuck he wouldn’t have to put up with that sexual tension anymore.


	6. Chapter 6

As soon as the door was closed, Eileen had Sam backed up against the door, and was pressing herself against him. He had a blissful smile on his face, and she was pretty sure that she did too. She was done holding back, so she finally did what she had wanted to do since… well, since she had first met him, actually. She reached up and captured his lips in a kiss - one which started out gentle, but became passionate and needy very quickly. He pushed his tongue into her mouth and she moaned softly at the feeling.

 

Drawing back, Eileen started to undo the buttons on Sam’s shirt, one at a time, until she was able to slip it off his shoulders and let it drop to the floor. She pushed his t-shirt up and ran her hands lovingly over his chest. _Oh my_. She had imagined that Sam was well-built underneath his clothes, but she had to admit to herself that he was mouth-wateringly gorgeous. She had never thought this about anyone before, but Sam wasn’t like anyone she had met before.

 

Sam pulled the shirt up and over his head, then started to work on Eileen’s buttons. When she thought he was taking too long, she helped out until they were all undone. As he slipped her shirt off he caressed her shoulders and down over her arms, making her shiver in anticipation. She reached behind her back to unhook her bra, letting it fall, and join the growing pile of clothes on the floor.

 

Sam looked at her with undisguised lust on his face, and skimmed Eileen’s breasts lightly with the backs of his hands. He turned his hands over to cup her breasts gently, then bent down to take one of her nipples in his mouth.

 

“Sam… ahhhh!” It felt so good, and when Sam started running his tongue around the nipple she could feel the wetness starting to gather between her legs. _Jesus, he knew what he was doing_.

 

Eileen pulled away, took Sam’s hand, and led him over to the bed. They needed to get horizontal… right now. Maintaining eye contact with Sam throughout, Eileen removed the rest of her clothes; flinging them in the general direction of the ones they had already dropped. Sam followed Eileen’s lead, watching her in awe as he also undressed.

 

When they were both naked, Eileen lay down on the bed, and waited for Sam to join her. He didn’t waste any more time; climbing on top of her, as she parted her legs for him to fit perfectly between them. They kissed again, and this time their hands explored each other… felt each other. Sam started to move down, kissing over Eileen’s neck, her breasts, stomach, until he reached the place that made her writhe with pleasure.

 

Sam expertly flicked his tongue over Eileen’s clit again and again, and thrust his fingers into her, until she thought she might come before they even got to the main event. She pulled on his hair, and when he looked up at her she said, “I want you inside me. Please.”

 

Sam nodded and crawled back up Eileen’s body, kissing all over her as he moved. When he reached her mouth, she could taste herself on his tongue, and she was pleasantly surprised to find that a real turn-on. He reached into his bedside drawer, and pulled out a foil packet, then quickly opened it and rolled the condom onto his impressively sized cock.

 

Spreading her legs further apart, Sam pushed into Eileen, until they were both panting. Then he stopped and gazed down at her happily. “Fuck, you feel good.”

 

“So d-do you… ohhhh!” They began to move together, in a perfect rhythm, then Sam flipped them over so that Eileen was on top. This allowed him to be able to reach her clit with his thumb, and it only took a couple of minutes of him rubbing it before she felt that explosion building within her.

 

Eileen climaxed with a shout; arching her back as she did, and she could feel Sam coming too, underneath her. When she had got her breathing back under control, she stared down at him.

 

“Fuck Sam. That was.... Fuck.”

 

Sam laughed and flipped them over again. “Yeah, it was. It was fuck.”

 

They kissed some more, softly this time, and Eileen felt herself falling asleep, safe in Sam Winchester’s big, strong arms. She finally believed that this was where she was supposed to be, and she didn’t plan on leaving ever again.

 

                                            


End file.
